metamorphosis
by beyondthecrystalsea
Summary: Any change which alters general character and mode of life. The story of Gaara’s change, from the monster he was forced to be, to the man he was meant to be. Follows Gaara from the chunin exams to this quest to become Kazekage. Gaaracentric
1. Chapter 1

A/N I do not in any way own or claim to own Naruto or his story. Special thanks to Masashi Kishimoto for his wonderful story and great imagination.

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Gaara dozed in and out of consciousness on the three day retreat to Suna. He was completely depleted of chakra. While Shukaku, the sand demon he had been cursed with at birth, had healed his worst injuries the Sand nin still felt amazingly weak. He was sure he had a couple of broken ribs, if this inability to breath freely was anything to go by, possibly a concussion, cuts and abrasions. Physical pain was such a new concept to his body. He had only ever been hurt once in his 13 years of existence, and that had been a month ago at the Chunin exams. He certainly couldn't say that after today. Being attacked through his sand wall had surprised him especially when he had felt the blood warm and slick on his shoulder. Gaara didn't like surprises. His cry of fury and bloodlust had filled the arena of spectators. He had felt contempt for all the idiots in the stands. They'd come from the 5 lands to look over the best of the new recruits, placing bets and posturing for position among the dignitaries. How he hated politicians. He'd felt their fear as they watched the Chunin trials. He knew they had despised their own weaknesses even as they admired the fighters. He had shoved all that to the back of his mind as he focused on the Uchiha. His fury had covered the pain until after the fight. He still wanted to wrap his sand around the neck of that Uchiha kid. Gaara would never forget his eyes looking at him insolently. The boy wore his pain like a badge of honor. Avenger of his household huh, that kid was trouble. If there was one thing Gaara knew, it was trouble.

His emotions had completely overwhelmed him. The pain and anger had robbed his mind of the ability to control the beast that resided in his body. It had felt so good to let the anger and rage leak out of his body even as the demon seeped out too. He'd longed for the moment when Shukaku escaped even as he feared it. He feared the loss of control over his mind and body, but reveled in the feeling of fear and death the demon evoked in his victims. Death validated his existence, and he was more alive than he'd ever been. It had all come crashing down when the demon had gone completely out of control. Gaara had been knocked unconscious, which was probably when he got his concussion. As Gaara passed into blackness, he'd heard the sand demon roar to life. It had taken a while for his fog filled mind to process why that was a bad idea. In the back of his mind pictures of Temari and Kankuro drifted to the surface. Part of him wanted to be sure they would be safe; the other part screamed that 'if they were too weak to survive they deserved to die'.

Other pictures of people in his life had filtered into his mind. His Mother, who gave him life, Yashamaru, who tried to take his life from him, the Fourth Kazekage, no way he was calling that bastard Father, all the people who had molded his life for better or worse. He also remembered the blond kid yelling about saving his friends, his precious people. His bright cerulean blue eyes had been so determined, so full of life and power. Even now Gaara reflected on those eyes. When was the last time Gaara had felt truly alive. Yes he'd felt power and bloodlust, but to be truly alive was only a dream Gaara had had long ago before he had been betrayed by the people nearest to him.

No, not everyone had betrayed him. Even now his brother was carrying him toward safety with an arm wrapped around his waist and cords of chakra holding him close. Temari kept glancing at him to make sure her little brother was not as badly hurt as she feared. The blond kid had scared her. She had dismissed him as just another Genin, but the determination on his face as he crawled toward her brother had caused her to fear for Gaara's safety. She and Kankuro headed to the rendezvous point for the sand ninjas. They were not sure what they would find when they reached the site. The plan had fallen apart almost as soon as the signal was given. Gaara had been distracted by the fight with the Uchiha, and part of the men had not been in position yet. Damn Kabuto and Orochimaru! Father should have known better than to trust the snake. She knew nothing good would come of a treaty with Sound. If they were able to come out of this day without war it would be only due to the grace of the gods.

Kankuro held his brother as carefully as possible. He knew he was in pain from the grunts he let out from time to time. Trust Gaara to take his pain without a comment. Trying to get the kid to talk had always been like pulling threads. The older boy was worried for Gaara's mind. Brushes with Shukaku always took a tole on Gaara's sanity. Not that Gaara was insane, but hell, _**he'd**_ even have nightmares from this day's fight, let alone Gaara. His thoughts shifted to the warriors left behind. Some of his best friends were in that group. After today's debacle he was sure that some of the men would be left behind. He only waited to find out which one of his friends he would mourn this time. His comrades were closer than his family, except Temari, of course. Gaara was an emotional retard, thanks to dear old Dad, Kankuro mused. The Fourth Kazekage had never been a father to any of the siblings, but at least he'd never sent an assassin after him or Temari.

As they neared the rendezvous site, their senses switched to overdrive checking to see if the area was secure. The site was already host to the wounded and dying. Medics ran from man to man offering what aid they could. Kankoro waved Kato over to join them. He was a medic and one of Kankuro's friends. At least Gaara had met him and hopefully wouldn't try to kill him when he looked at his wound. Kato quickly assessed the situation and told Kankuro to help him remove Gaara's shirt. The sand around their feet shifted as the older brother removed Gaara's gourd off his back. "It's me Bro" he said looking into Gaara's face. "I know it hurts, but you have to let Kato look at it. It'll get infected if we don't heal it." The younger boy's face relaxed as Kankuro explained. The sand settled to the ground. Kankuro supported his brother against his side as the medic proceeded to clean the wound on his shoulder caused by the chidori used in battle by the Uchiha.

Temari leaned next to him and held his hand. Gaara realized that she had not done that for him since he was a little child. When he was six, his uncle had been assigned to kill him by his father. At each rejection by his father, and each failed assassination, Gaara had cut himself off from the ones who could hurt him most. That had included his siblings, although the worst they had ever done to him was smack him when he was too obnoxious to bear. At this point Gaara was too depleted and sore to lash out at her. He used his small reserve of chakra to keep Shukaku under control. His sand sensed that their intentions toward him were to help not harm and so they were left to minister to his needs without objection.

Gaara lay on the cot somewhere between consciousness and sleep. Temari looked at Kato over her brother's prone body looking for answers.

"He'll be fine. Shakaku won't lethim die, but he'll need to be seen by a healer when we reach the village. His most troubling problem is his chakra depletion. He'll need bed rest, but how you're going to keep that kid in bed is beyond me." Kato sighed. "What happened, anyway?" he asked in concern. "I've never known Gaara of the Sand to be hurt by anything. He's our secret weapon."

"Konohagakure had its own secret weapons" replied Kankuro.

"No shit?" asked Kato.

"The last of the Uchiha clan was his first opponent. That kid used some moves we hadn't

expected. The Copy Nin must have taught him the Chidori. It went right through Gaara's

armor." explained Kankuro.

"That would explain the shape and size of the wound in Gaara's chest. If his sand hadn't taken most of the blow, it would have taken more than my triage to help him." agreed the Sand medic.

"His second opponent was another " "like Gaara," said Kankuro in a soft voice. "The kid rushed in to save the Uchiha brat and some girl," he lowered his voice again. "Things got out of control and all hell broke loose." The Sand nin seemed to become more aware of his surroundings. It was taboo to talk about Gaara's special abilities. All he needed was an ANBU with a chip on his shoulder to get in his face right now. On the cot Gaara stirred fitfully and murmured "Naruto". Temari brushed the red hair off his forehead.

The sound level in the camp rose as the next wave of ninjas returned from battle. As the Kage's son Kankuro was on the invasion council, reports began to come in of the defeat of Sound and Sand. Orochimaru's snakes had attacked both leaf and Sand nin making no distinction between friend and foe. The team who summoned the creatures had been the first to die. When the Sound nins couldn't find any women or children to molest, they had immediately moved on to looting leaving the sand nins to fight the onslaught of leaf ninja. When Commander Yen had asked for a report on the safely of the Kazekage it was reveled that the robed figure that all had thought to be the man was actually Orochimaru. No one knew where the Kazekage was at the present time but 4 ANBU were missing also. The more nins who reported the more obvious it was that the treaty between Sand and Sound was a trick by the Sannin to try to murder the Hokage. In the face of the missing Kazekage and the high number of injuries, a detail of ninja was sent with the wounded back to Sunagakure. They were being transported in wagons disguised as farm carts. They were sending as many of the wounded as possible so that those uninjured fighters could create a barrier between them and any attacker from the Leaf village. Their land's security was in question also.

With the Kazekage missing and all 3 of his children out of the village, it was a prime opportunity for a coupe. It was imperative that they be sent back as soon as possible. Instead of placing Gaara in the wagons with the injured, Temari and Kankuro opted to take him ahead with them. They couldn't trust the ones left behind to care for their brother. While many in the military admired and accepted Kankuro and would have cared for Gaara, the commanders were the ones the siblings worried about. They would have seen it as an excellent opportunity to get rid of a perplexing problem. Gaara might be their secret weapon, but he was not one to be controlled by anyone. A weapon that couldn't be controlled was a liability in the leader's eyes. The Sand siblings set out that afternoon. At first the Commanders had protested them going ahead of the wagons.

"It's in our best interest to get to Suna now, not in three days time!" argued Temari.

"I agree" chimed in Kankuro. "The wagons will be slow and heavy, a perfect target for any enemies." "I'd like to take 2 men with us and go swiftly before our position becomes known. I'd like to request Medic Kato and ANBU Gecko." It was not the best tactic, but with the Kazekage missing it was of the utmost importance to get to the Kazekage tower as soon as humanly possible.

On the first leg of the journey Kankuro carried Gaara on his back with ropes of chakra binding them together. Kato and the Gecko acted as escorts on the journey. Temai strapped the gourd on to her back, not knowing how Gaara would feel about a stranger carrying his sand. After an hour of carrying the sand, Temari called a halt to rest and readjust the straps. She hadn't realized how heavy the infernal gourd was. That her little brother managed to carry it day in day out on his slight frame was a revelation to her. She noticed that Gaara's eyes were half open and more alert than they had been. She smiledin his direction.

"I've got to give you credit Little Brother. Anyone who can carry this gourd is no slouch."

"No" Gaara agreed. He looked from Kankuro to Temari, "I'm sorry" he said quietly. His siblings were stunned at his words. "Don't worry about it "said Kankuro. Gaara talked so seldom that any words were a surprise, let alone words of apology. Temari couldn't remember the last time Gaara had spoken to her that he wasn't relaying information, correcting her or stating a fact. The words made a huge impression on her. She hoped it wasn't from the concussion. She yearned to be part of her brother's life, to be the friend to him that she was to Kankuro. Not knowing how to reply to Gaara, she smiled and patted his arm instead. Slinging the gourd onto her back again, the five nins continued thejourney to Suna.

Gaara was surprised at the feel of his sister's hand on his arm. He knew his siblings had a healthy fear of him. In the past he had liked it that way. From the time he was 9 he had used his power to intimidate them. It was after one of the assassination attempts from their father. His fear and anger had finally turned to hate. He hated everyone universally. Better to be on the offence to keep harm away than to be caught unaware again. He had never been one to talk much. With Temari and the chattier Kankuro as older siblings, he'd never had to talk. However, that year he had come to the realization that his words were tools that others used against him. A child's "I'll kill you" had suddenly become a death threat. Anytime he told an adult where he was going was now a clue for an assassin. He had learned the hard way. Sometimes he felt so much older than his brother and sister. He couldn't understand Kankuro's laughter. What was there to laugh about? Gaara longed for the camaraderie that his siblings shared but as long as his life was in danger he had to keep up his guard. Keep strong. But what had that Naruto kid said? Could he really become stronger in treasuring someone, in protecting them? If there was anyone he wanted to treasure it was his sister and brother, the only two people in his life who showed loyalty to him if not love. He would have to consider the other Jinchuuriki's words.

The Suna team continued on through the night. They took an hour rest at the edge of the desert. By that time Temari's back ached from carrying the "Stupid " gourd. He studied his brother, as Kato checked him over. Kankuro hardly seemed fazed by Gaara's weight. His Puppet weighed more than Gaara, and he had carried the wooden body into more battles than he cared to think about. It was an honor to be a Puppet Master in the Sunagakure military corps. Few fighters had the dexterity and chakra levels to maintain the puppets in battle. The Puppet Corps were a fighting force unique to the Land of Wind. They were invaluable in battle due to their ability to surprise the enemy. One of the few times Kankuro had seen the fourth Kazekage look on him in approval was when he had been admitted into the Puppet Corps. These thoughts brought him back to the puzzle of where his father was. Had Orochimaru taken him prisoner? He preferred that thought to the idea that his father had voluntarily stayed behind while his troops put their lives in danger. Better to be missing than a coward. He motioned to Gecko that he was ready to resume the journey. Temari grunted as she swung the gourd onto her back. Gaara opened his eyes at the sound of her grunt and seemed to notice for the first time that she was carrying his sand for him. He was still too depleted to carry the gourd himself, but he reached out his hand and as he twisted his wrist a stream of sand poured out of the gourd onto the ground. Temari gave him an unsure look, but he seemed satisfied. One thing Temari knew was to never question Gaara where his sand was concerned. With the lighter load, Temari was easily able to keep up with the men. The excess sand flowed behind Gaaraa like a maid following a lover.

The team headed out across the desert. The air was cold without the sun to warm the sand. They planned to be most of the way to Suna before the sun resumed its stifling heat. Traveling by night was actually easier in the desert. The stars were always more reliable than land marks in the ever changing sand. They kept the North Star on their right and angled toward Ursa Major.

The next day Sunagakure came into sight. Since daylight the four nin had kept an eye out for attackers. The desert was a perfect place to ambush travelers. The only people around were wandering nomad tribes and depending on the season those were few and far between. Temari felt new life come into her legs at the sight of the cities towers. Kankuro was immensely relieved too. Gaara was becoming more uncomfortable by the hour. He was trying to resist the chakra bands in his barely conscious state and his sand was on the defensive, making it very hard for his brother to carry him. They were met at the gated by guards, medics and council members. Kato accompanied Gaara to the hospital. Temari and Kankuro left with the council members to find out about their father. They relied on Kato to keep Gaara safe while they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

When Gaara awoke he felt like he'd been trampled by a camel. He couldn't sense Temari or Kankuro's chakra in the room but he was not alone. He turned his head toward the figure sitting beside the bed. He recognized it as a friend of his brother's.

He glanced warily at the man. He was not used to waking up in strange places next to people he didn't know. The man noticed he was awake and introduced himself.

"Gaara-san I am Kato, a friend of your brother's. You are in the hospital due to chakra depletion. I'm going to leave you for a few moments to inform Temari that you are awake."

"Hn" Gaara acknowledged the man with a tilt of his head. As Kato left the room, Gaara took a look around. He had never been a patient at the hospital before. He had seen Kankuro here. At the time, Temari had refused to leave his brother by himself. He wondered why she wasn't there with him. She must have figured he wouldn't care if she was there or not. He vaguely wished she was. He hated to rely on other people but he was feeling disoriented. He couldn't remember everything that happened yesterday. Gaara began to piece together the bits and pieces of conversation he could remember from fighting Naruto. He remembered completely losing control of Shukaku, and he remembered getting punched in the face to wake him up. Shukaku had been full size and full of rage, as was Gaara. 'Who the hell had punched him? Nobody laid hands on him without his express approval.' Naruto. He remembered looking into Naruto's angry face and thinking _"I will not cease to exist. I will not disappear. I Won't!"_ Gaara remembered flying away from the other boy's fist, landing across from the other in a clearing. The words the other boy spoke haunted Gaara's mind. He remembered the other boy's face. There was compassion mingled with resolve in those serious blue eyes.

"_It's almost unbearable, the feeling of being all alone. I've been there in that dark and lonely place. But now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care about them more than I do about myself. I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I won't ever give up. I will stop you even if I have to kill you."_

Gaara thought about his own words. "That's it, it's over." He had thought that losing to the Leaf nin would be the end of him. But he found the opposite to be true. In 

losing he was beginning to find a part of himself that he had lost -his humanness. He hadn't disappeared, he was fuller. Full of hope. Full of the knowledge that there was someone like himself in the world. Someone who understood. Just that knowledge alone opened the flood gates that hadn't been opened in years. Could he trust others? Would they betray his trust? Temari and Kankuro had gotten him home, back to Suna. Maybe he could start with them.

He could tell he was home from the smell of the sand in the air. Konoha was damp and smelled of moss and trees, but Suna was dry and satisfyingly warm. He could feel the sand call to him. As long as he could remember his relationship to the sand demon had given him an affinity for sand and minerals. He could feel it in Konoha but it was dulled by all the vegetation. Here in Suna it was on the surface and came willingly to his call. From an infant, the sand had protected him with a will of it's own it seemed.

It had saved his life many times from assassins when he was small. It seemed that his sand was the one friend he could count on.

He looked up as Temari rushed into the room; a troubled looked on her face. Her features visibly relaxed when she saw Gaara awake and alert.

"How do you feel, Gaara?" she said, as she walked over to his bed. She brushed his hair back from his brow, checking for a fever and peering into his face. Gaara flinched from the unexpected touch, but Temari just smiled at him in relief. "I was worried about you little brother." Gaara frowned at her as if to say 'Are you out of your mind?' She sat in the chair beside his bed. Gaara saw her give a tired sigh as she sat back in her chair. Temari was a true shinobi, slow to show emotion. Her tired sigh got Gaara's attention.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you remember much about the invasion?"

"No" Gaara replied in his low voice. That brought a half smile to her face. Gaara was the reason the phrase "man of few words was invented'.

"The whole invasion was a fiasco. Orochimaru was just using Sand as a distraction to get to the Hokage. We've lost a large number of men. Orochimaru's 

snakes took out part of them. They killed Sand and Leaf ninja alike. The Sound nin weren't there to fight. When one of our captains saw what was happening he detained a Sound nin for questioning. They had orders to rape and pillage and leave the fighting to Sand. They weren't even trying" she said in obvious distress. "Orochimaru dressed up like father and attacked the Hokage. Reports have come back that the 4th was able to cripple the snake before he died of his wounds. Father's missing. He and 4 Anbu haven't been heard of in three days."

"What are the council doing?" he asked.

"So far, nothing" sighed Temari. "That's where I've been all morning. Until Father can be found they are divided on how to proceed."

Gaara didn't know how to reply. What a mess.

"What has been the response of Konohagakure?" he asked.

"They lost their leader also, so they've been on the defensive and not on the attack yet. We've received a scroll demanding Orochimaru's head on a stake, and an explanation for the dissolution of our treaty."

Gaara looked grim. "I'd like Orochimaru's head too" he replied.

Temari smirked. Yes, she'd love to see the old snake within the grasp of Gaara's sand herself. "I hope Father is found soon. We still don't know if he's been injured, kidnapped or killed. Baki left with some troops this morning to see if they can find any evidence."

"Kankuro?" Gaara said in his deep voice.

"He's working with the Missions Dept. on the memorial service for the fallen nin. A couple of them were friends of his from Guard Corp. I think many people will know someone who fell in this battle" she said. "It's stupid because it was so unnecessary. How could Father trust Orochimaru anyway?" she asked bitterly.

"I don't believe the Kazekage has been known for making wise decisions to start with" retorted her brother. Temari nodded silently. Gaara had called their father nothing 

but the "Kazekage" since he was six. Temari surmised that he was thinking of Father's decision to seal a demon inside a baby and then try to kill his child when he didn't like how it turned out. She'd never understood how father could help but be attached to her brother, especially when he was younger. He'd been a cute little kid. He'd had a terrible temper though. Picture a three year old that _couldn't_ take a nap.

As the siblings sat quietly, the door opened and Kankuro came into the room. The young man looked really tired. He grabbed a chair from against the wall and brought it over to Gaara's bedside. He leaned back and propped his feet up on the bed. Gaara grunted at him and Kankuro just smirked back. Temari shook her head.

"How are the plans for the memorial service going?" Temari asked Kankuro.

"All set. Heard any word on the Kazekage yet?" asked the Puppet Master.

"Unfortunately no, I haven't heard anything yet" she answered. "Maybe someone will have information by the afternoon council meeting." The siblings could hear voices outside the door. Temari stood up. "That could be the food I asked them to bring to us. I know you 're always hungry" she commented with a smirk. Kankuro grinned back at her. As their sister made her way to the door, it opened on its own and Baki- sensei walked into the room with one of the council members.

A strained quiet fell over the room as the siblings waited for the men to address them. "Gaara-san, I trust you're recovering well?" asked the council member. Gaara nodded his head "Hn." Baki stepped forward. "We have news of the Kazekage." He said somberly. "I'm sorry to say that his body and that of the 4 Anbu were found in the desert in the direction of the Leaf village. It is believed they were attacked on the way to the exams. Orochimaru must have switched places then, before their presence was missed." He looked at the faces of his students. Temari's face crumbled, although she tried to hide it. The boys were both stoic. He had expected no less. The Kazekage had not been close to his children. They were respectful and obedient as they would be to any leader but they loved their village more than they did their father and the former 

Kazekage had only himself to blame. "We will be changing the memorial service to include the Kazekage. You will be in this afternoons meeting. Correct?"

"Yes sir." replied Temari.

"We can discuss it then" said the council member. "You have the council's deepest sympathy" he bowed to the young people and turned to leave the room.

Baki looked at his students. "You know you have my support. I'll be here to help." He also bowed and left the room.

The siblings sat in stunned silence for a few moments. As hard as their father had been to get along with they had been unprepared. As a shinobi death can come at any time. The three knew that and yet when the time came it was still a shock. Temari dried her eyes and Kankuro took her hand. "It's what I expected." she said. "I just didn't expect to feel so alone." Their family was down to just the three of them.

"You have us!" said Kankuro. "What more could you want?" he said patting her shoulder.

Looking at both their serious faces, she decided to lighten the atmosphere. "A sister".

Kankuro looked at her in shock, not sure if she was serious or not. A grin appeared on his face. "That would have to be Gaara. I like being a boy." Both siblings broke into quiet laughter at the look on Gaara's face. The youngest brother smacked Kankuro's feet off the bed. "If I had my gourd in here, you wouldn't have to worry about it." he smirked back.

"Ok. I take back my wish." said Temari. The attendant entered with the food they had requested and the room became quiet as they ate their lunch.

"Temari, I really need to go back to the mission's room to help with the changes to the ceremony. Are you going to be ok?" asked Kankuro.

"Sure! Those old men on the council don't intimidate me." replied Temari, her bravado firmly in place. Gaara watched his brother and sister talk. He knew that; Kankuro hated council meetings, the men on the council did sometimes intimidate Temari, and he had just seen her cry earlier. She was not in the best frame of mind to deal with the often times difficult council.

"I'm going to the meeting" Gaara announced. He threw back his blankets and got out of bed to find his clothes.

"What" cried Temari? "You're not supposed to be out of bed yet!"

He held up his hand to stop her tirade before it began.

"I'm going." "I don't trust them." He asserted in his deep voice. That was it. He had made up his mind. Temari continued to protest but Kankuro showed him the closet when his freshly laundered clothes were and he found his gourd in the bathroom, out of the way. In a short time he was ready. He felt tired but his sister had sheltered him when he was knocked out from the fight with Naruto. He would shelter her from the ire of the council.

The faces of the council members were visibly shocked when Gaara accompanied his sister into the room. A few tried to tell him that his presence was not needed and he should go rest, but he was not to be discouraged. "I'm staying." Was all he said in his low voice and the objections were dropped. As the meeting progressed, he was glad he had come. Some of the council tried to belittle Temari even though she was the Kazekage's daughter and had been training on the Diplomatic Corp for some time. Any who tried that soon got a glare from her brother. The sight of him and his gourd brought a more respectful attitude to the wayward members. He could tell that Temari was glad for his presence with the members, but still upset that it took a man to get her the respect she deserved. She was a full fledged konichi and able to take care of herself.

As the meeting drug on Gaara's mind began to wander. No one seemed upset by the death of the Kazekage except where it affected the village. Few held him in regard personally. He was not surprised that his father had no one. His father had not left room for anything in his life but power and greatness. After the fight with Naruto, Gaara began to see that this was the Kazekage's greatest weakness. 'I want my existence to be necessary to others. I want to be more than just a weapon to be feared.' 'I see the wisdom of Naruto's words. I will start with Temari and Kankuro. I believe they are worthy of my trust.'

A/N I would love to hear your reviews. How do you like the story so far?


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Naruto in any way. Kudos to Masashi Kishimoto for his wonderful imagination.

"Gaara!" said Temari sternly. "Our family has proudly served our village for over one hundred years. There will be a Sabuko on that council as long as I have breath in my body. Kankuro is not suited for it and you won't, so that leaves me. You will do nothing to jeopardize that position or I'll make _your_ life hell for once." "Do you understand me?"

"Hn" Gaara grunted.

Gaara had spent the last two days with Temari listening to the council bicker about how to best solve Suna'a problems after the invasion. About half of the council were idiots, so power hungry that they spent all their time posturing on issues. A quarter of the council was too timid to stand up to the rest which left a quarter of the board to be reasonable. After two days Gaara was ready to use 'sand coffin' on all of them. He'd said it half joking to Temari but loud enough that a couple of the troublemakers overheard. That had lead to Temari's outburst. He was trying to make good on his resolve to curb his violent tendencies but Shukaku was bored. When Shukaku got bored Gaara paid.

The council meetings ended at noon so that the members could attend the services that afternoon. Gaara didn't attend official ceremonies. He wasn't often invited and he didn't really care to go. However, he felt honored to attend the funeral of the brave shinobi of their village. He wanted to be there. At least that's what he thought until Temari informed him that there would be a ceremony after the memorial service to honor the Kazekage.

"I'm not going!"

" Gaara! They're not only honoring the 4th Kazekage, but the three who came before him. Your great grandfather founded this village. His son and grandson worked tirelessly to build it to what it is today. Yes, father made some bad choices, but his intention was to save Suna from withering away. Our grandfather was the greatest shinobi of the wind country. His blood runs in our veins. That's something to be proud of. That's worthy of honor, and I want you to be there to honor it with me."

Temari was very hard to say no to when she was passionate about something. Gaara finally just nodded his head. He didn't even argue when Temari laid out his robes for the service.

Temari's words made him think of his grandfather, the 3rd Kazekage. He was widely known as one of the most powerful shinobi in the 5 kingdoms. Suna had risen to greatness under his leadership. He had disappeared during a mission to capture a missing nin. Gaara had learned about him during his studies with Temari and Kankuro. Because the other children had feared him, he had joined his siblings in studying with Baki- sensei He was a very advanced student for his age. His uncle had taught him to read at the age of three and he was doing basic math at four. At five he was studying history and geography. At six he had been training with his father for three years and could use his sand coffin to protect himself.

"I'm not too smart if I can't get out of going to a ceremony with my sister," Gaara sighed to himself. He met Kankuro and Temari in the hallway ready to set off to the memorial service. He and his sister were in formal robes while Kankuro was in this black Puppet Corps uniform. On their arrival at the cemetery, Kankuro separated to take up formation with the guard. The Kazekage's other children were seated with the dignitaries.

The village priests started the service, offering prayers for those fallen. Gaara's mind began to drift to his own thoughts. He remembered studying about his grandfather as part of his history lessons. His father hardly talked to him outside of training and his grandfather was already dead by the time he was born. He had been proud to come from such a brave family. At five, he had hoped to one day be like his grandfather and be a great shinobi to bring glory to his country. At six, the Kazekage of his country had tried to have him assassinated by the one person he thought loved him. He had forgotten all his dreams to bring glory to Wind country. His life had become focused on staying alive and out of sight of his father. Now however, the ones trying to kill him were dead. He 

had people to care for. Perhaps now he could make new dreams. Dreams to be an asset to his village and his family.

Gaara's thoughts returned to the service as those attending walked forward to offer sacrifices for the dead. In Suna, flowers were a frivolity not widely indulged. In the desert each plant needed to have a use. Life was too precious to waste on something just to look at. Here people offered sweet smelling herbs. The air was full of fragrance as family and friends brought their offerings forward. It was believed that the fragrance was carried with the prayers of the people to make an acceptable sacrifice to the gods.

Soon an official came to escort them to the banquet hall for the official ceremony for the Kazekage. They were seated near the council at the head table. Kankuro would come later with his corps division. Temari knew Gaara still had little patience with the council. She made sure he sat next to one of more respected members, the honorable Yamanoto- san. Gaara had expected the man to flinch when he was seated next to him. However he smiled instead. Gaara was surprised. People never smiled around him.

"Garra-san. Please accept my condolences" said the man.

Gaara nodded. "Thank you." As much as he disliked talking to people, he respected the older man and decided to answer him.

"I'm pleased to see you with your sister on the council. Your sister is an intelligent girl. I'm sure she will do well in the diplomatic corps. She has a gift for diplomacy and a natural self assurance to get her point across." commented Yamanoto- san. 'You mean she's bossy and won't take no for an answer, yes that's Temari' thought Gaara to himself.

"Hn" Gaara replied to the older man. Yamanoto- san smiled at his reply.

"Forgive me for saying this, but you remind me so much of your Grandfather, the 3rd Kazekage. You have many of the same mannerisms he had. He and I were at the academy together when we were young. He was a man of few words, but a great friend. I still miss his wise council. It does my heart good to see one of his grandsons on the village council. We need intelligent men of reason on that board." Yamanoto- san tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow. "I'm sure you've noticed that as much as I have."

Maybe it was the fact that he said Gaara was like his grandfather. Maybe it was because he showed no fear to Gaara, but whatever caused it, Gaara felt this was someone he could like… at least tolerate. "Yes" said Gaara with a twist of his lips.

"Yes, I knew you would" replied Yamanoto- san.

The Priests offered prayers and the first course of the dinner was brought in. Soups and cheeses were followed by lamb and goat dishes. If Temari dragged him to this ceremony, at least the food was good. He turned to look at Temari and found her watching him. "What?" he demanded.

"What were you two talking about?" she asked nodding toward Yamanoto- san.

"He thinks you'll make a good diplomat." Gaara shrugged.

"Really?" Temari asked, her voice sounding pleased. "Hn" came Gaara's standard reply.

As dinner ended servants came in to remove the tables and the chairs were moved to offer a better view of the performers. There were more prayers offered by the priests followed by traditional music and dance. The songs were ballads telling of the great battles and works of the four Kazekages of the village. Gaara had heard some of the songs before. During his sleepless nights he often sat outside enjoying the quiet and the moonlight. Many nights he spent on the walls of the city listening to the wandering Bedouin tribes play music. The sound traveled for great distances on the quiet night air

. Gaara was actually enjoying this part of the meeting he found to his surprise. He closed his eyes to listen to the music as there was no one he wanted to talk to. His sensitive ears heard two of the men from the council talking softly at the back of the room.

"This situation is intolerable."

"Who will lead our village now? The Kazekage was an incompetent fool. He could not have been the son of the third." said the first man gravely.

"I always thought the 3rd Kazekage's wife was a little too close to his General for propriety." said the other suggestively.

"If only his oldest child was a man, instead of that slut who thinks she's a diplomat. Look who we have to choose from, an imbecile, a slut, and a monster. We 

should have let the Sannin take over. At least our enemies wouldn't eat us alive." replied the first man.

The sand at Gaara's feet began to gather at the disrespect shown his family. When they called Kankuro an imbecile and Temari a 'slut' in that derogatory tone, the sand began to swirl. When Gaara heard the word 'monster', Shukaku began to whisper for the deaths of the traitors.

The minute Kankuro walked into the room he could tell something was wrong. A familiar feeling began to invade his senses. He looked around the room for Gaara. He found him with his eyes closed and a scowl on his face. As he drew near, his brother's eyes popped open and Gaara said

"Get me out of here Now!" Kankuro knew that tone of voice and he turned to lead the way out of the room. He didn't know what had happened to upset Gaara, but he knew what would happen if it wasn't stopped. The brothers walked out the door of the hall and down the street toward the training grounds. As Gaara walked more sand began to swirl behind him like a swarm of angry bees. The brother's quick steps brought them to the far side of the training grounds. Kankuro turned to Gaara to ask what happened but the fury on his brother's face told him not too.

"We've been meaning to increase the size of the training area, but this outcrop of rock has us hemmed in. Care to take care of it?" There, he'd given Gaara a target to take his anger out on. Now it was up to Gaara to either accept or give in to his anger. Gaara raised both arms and the sand around him exploded toward the rock. Kankuro jumped back away from the flying debris. He retreated to the edge of the training area where he sat on a rock and watched his little brother decimate the side of a mountain. Gaara was a wonder to watch when his anger was directed away from oneself. His whole body moved as he shifted sand with his motions. He raised his arms and waves of sand climbed into the air. He moved his feet and those waves followed his will and direction. Over the next 

hour the Puppet nin watched as tons of sand ate away at the mountain, doing in minutes what would take months of heavy labor and explosives otherwise.

Finally Gaara began to feel the strain of his movements and his temper began to cool. He brought his arms down and turned to look for his brother. He saw Kankuro sitting on a rock not far away. He walked toward him expecting to see that strained fearful face his siblings usually wore when he lost his temper. However Kankuro just looked at him.

"Good job, Bro". "I don't suppose you could even it out a little before you finish." he asked. Gaara was surprised but turned back to the arena and waved his arms as the sand swirled and leveled the area. He knelt and flashed through some hand seals before bringing his hands down on the ground to settle the sand as if it had been in place for years not minutes. His brother jumped as the shock wave rolled through the area.

"Damn Gaara, I sometimes forget how powerful you are." he said. Gaara's lips drew up in a smirk. "Not bad for a 'little' brother", Kankuro smirked back. That caused Gaara's lips to loose their humor entirely. "So what had you so upset to start with?" he asked.

"Our Grandmother was not a whore."

"No she was not" Kankuro replied.

"Temari is not either!"

"Where did you hear this?" demanded Kankuro now getting mad himself.

"At the ceremony" replied Gaara gruffly. Kankuro nodded. People tended to think that because Gaara seldom talked he was dumb. In fact he was very intelligent and not much got past him.

"What else did they say?" he asked. Gaara answered his question with a question.

"Who _will_ be Kazekage?"

"Hard to say" answered Kankuro. "I don't want it. I'm part of the military. I'm proud to be in the Puppet Corps. But the military is only part of a Kazekage's responsibility. I like the organization and using my skills to protect my village. I am ready to give my life for my people, but I hate diplomacy" "I wouldn't last a day at what 

Temari does. If I had to deal with some of the old farts she does I'd tell them to stick it up their lily white, and the next thing you know we'd be at war." "You know me, not much tact. I'd rather say what I mean." he said with a grin. The corners of Gaara's mouth lifted slightly. "Temari on the other hand would be great at diplomacy. She always has a way of getting people to do what she wants. However half of our fighting men are made up of older men and nomad tribes. They won't be ruled by a woman no matter how strong or smart she is. Maybe in a country more progressive like Fire, but not here, she'd get assassinated." "So that leaves you. Do you want it?" Kankuro asked.

"No way" said Gaara emphatically.

"I thought not" laughed his brother. "The title has gone through the family for a hundred years. I guess they'll have to look for some cousins or something. I don't know of any, but we've got to have family somewhere. The board will look into it don't worry." The mention of the council caused Gaara to frown again.

"I know you've been spending a lot of time with the council, why don't you train with me in the morning? We train at sunrise before the heat. You'll feel a whole lot better if you can work out some of your anger. Those council guys are enough drive anybody crazy." Gaara nodded. The two brother headed across the training grounds toward home. Gaara was able to relax as he let his brothers words roll through his mind. He was unsure about meeting new people. In the past he'd had to be wary of new people who could turn out to be his enemy.

That night Kankuro set out to find some sparring partners for the next day. Gaara was a feared shinobi for a good reason. In his determination to stay alive he had no compunction in killing his enemies. He had become an efficient killing machine. Most Wind soldiers knew this and were more than willing to stay away from him. Kankuro had too much regard for his comrades to spring Gaara on them first thing in the morning. He found several of the men he trained with at the local 'watering hole' well on their way to their goal of getting drunk. He headed over to their tables and was greeted loudly when they saw him.

"There he is, the next Kazekage" one yelled. Kankuro grimaced.

"Not this boy! Not unless they suddenly provide a large harem to go along with the job. Otherwise they don't pay enough to make it worth my while."

"Hey is there a harem?" asked one of the other ninja.

"No you idiot." laughed one of his comrades.

"Speaking of pay…how much would it take to convince you to add another sparring partner tomorrow?" Kankuro asked the group.

"Depends, who we talking about?" asked one.

"If it's Temari, No. She kicked my butt last time." laughed another.

"No, actually I'm thinking about Gaara."

Their two tables immediately became quiet. None of his comrades knew what to say.

"Why"

"He's been trying to help Temari with the guys on the council, but you know what ass holes they are. Heck, _I'd_ even lose my patience with them. He needs a way to let off some steam and he needs to practice." said Kankuro. "It's not going to be easy but I'd like your help." He looked at their faces and saw a mixture of emotions on them.

"Are we going to make it out alive?" asked one guy matter of factly.

"Yes I can guarantee that." promised Kankuro.

"All right, what the hell." said one of his other friends. "I haven't lived on the edge in a while."

"He just has to promise to fight without sand."  
"Fair enough." said Kankuro "I'll talk to him. Thanks for your help guys." he said with a smile. "Next drink is on me" he said leaving several bills on the table. His friends sent up a cheer as the bar maid came to get their drink order.

Next he had to talk to Gaara. It was dark by the time he arrived home. He checked Gaara's room first. He felt no chakra through his door so he headed up to the roof. It was one of Gaara's favorite places. Kankuro didn't see him at first. He was so still he looked like part of the roof it's self. Kankuro sat down beside his brother and waited for him to be the first to speak. Gaara seemed to respond to that better than just jumping into a conversation.

"What?" Gaara asked.

"I found us some sparring partners for tomorrow. They have a request though."

"Hn"

"They want you to guarantee not to kill them." said Kankuro. Gaara smirked.

"What are they scared?"

"No, but they are Sand ninja. They have either seen or heard about your sand burial. Damn right they're concerned." replied his brother. No one wants to die because of training practice.

"So what do they want?" asked Gaara

"Practice without the sand."

"What?" said Gaara in surprise? "No"

Kankuro just sat quietly beside him. He was not really surprised by Gaara's reaction.

"That's not even possible!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Yes it is," replied Kankuro patiently. "The sand protects you, but it doesn't injure your enemy unless you make it. I've seen how it works remember?"

"It's up to you. I've found you some good guys to spar with. But I know there's going to be a lot of fear and trust involved. They fear what they know you're capable of and you're going to have to trust them during the sparring. Think about it. If you want to come, meet me at the front door at dawn. If you're not there, I'll know not to expect you." Kankuro stood up to depart. He laid a hand on Gaara's shoulder. "It's your decision." He patted the shoulder and walked to the window and climbed back inside.

Kankuro had known it would be a difficult choice for his brother. His sand was like his security blanket. It was the one thing he could always count on, unlike people. He entered his room. He'd just have to see what tomorrow brought.

Gaara continued to sit on the roof, lost in his thoughts. Fight without sand? No freaking way. Had Kankuro finally lost it? His sand was part of him. No! That was final.

Now that he had decided his thoughts began to wander. He thought of the people he had met at the Chunin exams. Rock Lee, that kid never gave up. He had been a worthy opponent but in the end his sand had won out. Shukaku had hated him for being the first person get through Gaara's defense. The demon had given him no rest until he'd gone to 

the hospital to kill him. As he wrapped his sand around Lee, Naruto and Shikamaru had entered the room and tried to stop him. He remembered clearly their conversation.

"_Do you have a personal grudge against him?" asked Shikamaru._

"_No, I'm going to kill him because I want him dead."_

"_That's the most selfish thing I've ever heard." said Naruto._

"_You grew up in a bad environment didn't you? You're really egocentric." added Shikamaru_

"_If you try to stop me I'll kill you. If you bother me I will kill you."_

_Naruto scoffed, "You can't kill me. I have a real monster inside me."_

_Gaara doubted that but humored him anyway._

_"Then I am the same. As you said, I didn't grow up in a nice environment. To become the ultimate ninja, my father used a ninja technique to bind an incarnate of sand to me. I was a monster at birth. It's called Shukaku and_ _was sealed in a teakettle. It is a living soul of an elder priest from the hidden village of sand. Love? Don't measure me by your values. Family? Let me tell you what kind of link I have with them. They are just lumps of meat linked by hatred and murderous intent."_

Those had been his words to Naruto when he had tried to kill Lee. He had known no other existence but death and sand. Naruto had shown him what it could be like to have others to stand beside him. He had shown him what strength could come from standing united. So here he was, in the dark, on a roof deciding what road to take. Trust in Kankuro's judgment, open himself up to his siblings and take a chance, or ignore Kankuro's suggestion and close off communication between them. If he closed off his siblings, he might never get the chance to know them again. Was it worth it? Gaara sat back against the roof in thought.

Kankuro woke shortly before dawn. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. It had taken him a long time to get to sleep last night. He didn't know what to expect out of Gaara. His little brother could never be pushed into doing something he didn't want. He always followed his own direction. He shuffled into the shower thinking that the water might rejuvenate him since sleep hadn't. Thank God he wasn't Gaara. He needed his sleep. Once dressed, he headed downstairs for a light snack to keep him going until later. 

At the bottom of the stairs he found Gaara waiting for him. He held out some fruit and cheese to Kankuro. He accepted the food as he took in the sight of Gaara without his gourd and with his weapons belt in place. It almost didn't look like him. Kankuro was pleased that his brother had decided to come this morning. He knew what a chance Gaara was taking, and it made his chest tighten to know that Gaara trusted him enough to take it.

"You ready?" he asked heading toward the door.

Gaara nodded. "Hn".

A/N If you read this and liked it please review. I feel like I'm sending this into a black hole where people don't read Naruto. Thanks for your help.


	4. Chapter 4

Gaara's days began to fall into a rhythm. It started at dawn practicing with Kankuro and the other shinobi. He knew the men were wary of him and that didn't bother him. He was not used to people being friendly and so he didn't miss it. Practice was fast paced and the men took it very seriously. Although not so seriously that they had no fun. Kankuro was never serious for long. Gaara began to see his brother in a new way. He was loyal to his comrades, and never backed down from a fight. Because of this, they trusted him. He carried authority well in his duties to his men. Gaara was slightly surprised after seeing what a goof ball he was at home.

There were six nin besides Kankuro who showed up to spar. Three were from the puppet corp., and three were regular military. Temari was in the kitchen when the boys came home from training the first day.

"Where were you guys?" she asked in a baffled tone.

"I took Gaara to spar with me this morning." Kankuro explained to her.

"Really" she said cautiously. "How'd it go?" "Was it the usual group?"

'I think it went pretty well" Kankuro offered. "It was all six guys this morning. I don't know if you've met the last three yet. The full group includes Daisuke, Sadao, and Arashi." Temari had been getting out the cereal and bowls while they talked. She handed the milk to Gaara and told him;

"Don't let those Puppet Corp guys get to you. Last time I spared with them I kicked Taro's butt. You should have no trouble at all."

"Hn" Gaara replied. He wouldn't say so but he was pleased at his sister's confidence in him. It had been a frustrating morning figuring out how to fight without sand, and meeting new people. He wanted to forget the whole thing, but Kankuro had seemed so pleased when he showed up this morning.

It took the soldiers a while to get used to Gaara and his sand. Even withholding sand from his attacks didn't stop it from protecting him. For Gaara, using ninjutsu and taijutsu it was like learning to fight all over again. He had learned the moves as a young child. However, he never needed to use them since his sand was a much more effective offence. After fighting in the Chunin exams Gaara saw the wisdom in knowing the other jutsu moves. He had the knowledge but not the muscle memory to make the moves second nature. When fighting, he was more aware of where the attacks would come from. That was one of the things he had learned from the Chunin exam fights. He needed to know more fighting styles to make his sand more efficient. He had asked himself, why hadn't his sand been able to protect him? Rock Lee had been faster than his sand. In his experience no one was faster than his sand. The Uchiha had been stronger than his sand. How could that be? He had never had an opponent faster or stronger than himself in Wind Country. He trained very hard to make sure that would never happen again.

Daisuke became his usual sparring partner in the mornings. He was a weapons master and showed up to spar each day with a new collection of weapons. He loved to try to trip the men up by throwing in a weapon they weren't used to. This had intrigued Gaara. He had been impressed by the sheer amount of weapons at the man's disposal. When Daisuke saw Gaara's interest he was proud to show off his collection. He was eager to show Gaara how to use each tool. The man was cheerful to a fault. He reminded Gaara of Naruto in that way.

"I'm going to find something that get's through that sand." He promised the men. "Nothing against you Gaara, but I take it as a personal affront that your sand stops me every time."

Gaara smirked. "You're welcome to try." It was one of the longest sentences Gaara had strung together in front of the men and so it made a lasting impression.

True to his nature he didn't talk much but he listened a lot to the other men. He heard about their missions and their thoughts on politics. They talked a lot about who the new Kazekage would be. He knew they were apprehensive about how the council was handling the situation with Leaf. Most of the missions were for the Interrogation and Intelligence division. Squads were being sent out daily tracking down reports of Sound Nin and Orochimaru.

Most of Gaara's days were spent in council meetings along with Temari. He had been in the council meeting when the Declaration of Surrender had been read to the council for approval. Sunagakure would unconditionally surrender to Kohonagakure. They had chosen two members of the council to take the surrender treaty to Nakatsugawa City in River Country. The treaty was to be signed in a neutral place by both parties. River was between Fire and Wind Countries so it had offered to host the ceremony. The smaller surrounding countries had been eager for the treaty to be ratified. They would be caught in the crossfire if war broke out. Nakatsugawa was a larger town on the river. It was able to house both contingents of their respective countries. Yamanoto- san had been one of the men chosen and Gaara was reassured by the fact that there would be at least one wise man among those going. He had volunteered to go as one of the ninja escorts to protect them, after some debate the council accepted his offer. A few members had been against it, but most thought that as a weapon and the son of the last Kazekage, he would be an asset to the group. Preparations began for the trip to River Country. Along with the two council members, there were four advisors and four members of the Diplomatic staff. There would be ten ninja escort, five regular military and five Puppet Corp. Temari would be going as a junior staff member, and Kankuro had been chosen from the Puppet Corp.

Baki sent word that they were to meet in his office at nine a.m. the next morning. The three entered his office to find maps spread out on the surface of his desk.

"I have an unofficial mission for the three of you on your trip to Nakatsugawa. As you know we are still looking for Orochimaru and the Sound Nin. Keep your ears open for any information about these traitors during your trip. People may tend to talk in front of you because of your young age. They underestimate your intelligence. That would be a mistake on their part." Baki assured them.

"Orochimaru and Sound are still looking for a foothold to take over Suna and or Leaf Villages." Their Sensei pulled the mission scroll out of his vest pocket. "There are three things we know that Orochimaru and Sound need to put his plans into action. He'll need people, funds and weapons."

"Temari, visit the tea houses, hotels, restaurants, bath houses, resorts, any place women gossip and men with money congregate. You know what to look for." He turned to Gaara next.

"Gaara and Kankuro, check out the markets and pubs. Keep your ears open. You'll only have a short time to work but we can't lose this chance to do double duty with the time you have available. I have a list of possible weapons Orochimaru is interested in. By this I mean stealing the Doujutsu and Hijutsu of other clans. We need the names of Orochimaru's associates. This will be an information gathering mission.

Later that afternoon the members of the ninja escort met with the head of Puppet Corps to discuss the safety measures for the council members and Diplomatic staff. After some discussion it was decided to use camels to travel to River Country. Coaches would be subject to ambush and walking was not an option like it was for the ninja. They would leave in two days time to arrive in Nakatsugawa one day early. This would leave time for any last minute negotiations on the treaty. They would stay two days after to allow the council members to rest and the diplomatic corp. to continue discussions with Kohonagakure. Gaara correctly saw this as an effort to give their team time to complete their other mission.

As a member of the Diplomatic Corp, Temari was given a camel to ride. Gaara was surprised to learn that this was not the first time she had ridden one. It seemed that this was not an unusual mode of transportation for the Corp. Gaara was not surprised to hear her taunt Kankuro with this unexpected luxury.

"How come you get to ride?"

"What can I say? She smirked. The important members of the contingent ride, unlike the grunts."

'Grunt! "Kankuro yelled. 'I'll be protecting your scrawny butt."

"I'll have my fan. I'll protect my own butt, thank you very much." said Temari. " And it's not scrawny by the way."

"OK, fat butt." said Kankuro, walking into the kitchen.

Gaara was amused. His siblings were quite funny when he actually paid attention to them. He could hear yelling and something like a rolling pin smacking the counter in the kitchen.

Two days later the contingent left Suna for River Country. It included ten camels three pack mules, and ten ninja. The group headed east for Nakatsugawa. A couple hours into the trip Gaara began to feel unease. With each league they traveled the unease grew worse. Shukaku was awake and wanted released. He sent his sand to scout the area and discovered that they were being followed. That was the fight the sand demon was looking forward too.

He moved through the formation to Kankuro.

"We're being followed." He said to his brother.

"You sure?" Kankuro frowned.

"Shukaku's been ready to fight for a couple leagues now. He alerted me."

"How many? Can you tell?

"Maybe thirty. Looks like Sound to me. Maybe a few missing nin."

"Damn, said Kankuro. "It wouldn't be so bad, but we have to protect the councilmen and the Diplomatic corp." "How close are they?"

"About a league. It looks like they're waiting for something." answered Gaara.

"Well let's keep going. We'll look for somewhere to make a stand, with some protection for the non ninjas. You tell Temari and I'll tell the other nin."

Gaara nodded. He left Kankuro's side and headed for Temari. He used his sand to lift him to the same level as the camel's back. Temari smiled at him.

"Did you miss me, little brother?"

"We're being followed."

Temari was immediately all business. "Give me details."

"About thirty, a league away. We believe they're Sound Nin."

"So, what are we doing?" she asked.

"We're going to continue on until we can find somewhere to defend. We are alerting all the nin."

"I'll inform the corp." Temari replied.

Gaara moved to the back of the formation. He would be their first line of defense.

He now saw why the Sound were waiting. The longer the wait the more unnerved the non ninja became. The camels were even starting to get antsy. An hour later, the group came within sight of an abandoned homestead. The house was burned out but the barn seemed to be intact. Kankuro turned to Gaara.

"Should we use it or keep going?"

Gaara closed his eyes to invoke his sand eye, and his pulse raced. The Sound must have seen it too for they were starting to close in. Shukaku jumped in his chest, further affirmation of the Sound's intent.

"Yes, they're coming. "He replied.

Kankuro turned to his sister. "Temari! Run for the barn. Now!" "They're coming!" She grabbed the reins of the closest mule as she yelled for the councilmen and corp. to ride for the barn. Kankuro turned to the nin. "You and You," he said pointing. "Follow and make sure they stay safe." To the rest of the escort team he yelled, "Take up positions between the intruders and the barn. You know what to do." Gaara widened his stance as he waited for his opponents to come within range.

He began to hear a strange music. One of the Sound kinoichi was holding a strange flute to her lips. At the sound, two of the escort dropped their weapons, held in place and mesmerized.

"Damn, some kind of genjutsu." He saw Kankuro stuffing part of his hood into his ears. That wouldn't last long. Gaara didn't have to worry about himself. Shukaku was screaming so loud in his head that he had to concentrate to hear anything but the demon. The kinoichi would have to go first. He lifted his hands sending ribbons of sand toward the attackers. They began to move out of the way. Well, they had gotten smarter since the Chunin exams. They didn't stand still any longer. He tried a couple of different attacks to no avail. This was taking too long. He had gotten stronger since the exams too. The enemy was looking at his sand, so he grabbed his weapons pouch. Hidden behind his next attack were shiriken. The knives hit the girl in the hands making her drop the flute and making her hands useless. A ribbon of his sand grabbed the flute and he crushed it under his foot. The genjutsu was dispelled reviving his fellow Nin. As they engaged the first wave of the enemy, Gaara took stock of their situation. During the illusion a few of the Sound Nin had gotten between their defense and the barn. Gaara's hands flew through the signs and sent a wall of sand after the men. It overtook them and buried them. He could see Temari at the doors of the barn her fan at the ready. He knew any survivors would be taken care of.

Turning back he saw Kankuro already battling three of the nin. His puppets Karasu, and Kuroai, were doing a deadly dance at the end of his chakra. The other Puppet Nin were attacking also. He took stock of where his allies were including their puppets.

Shukaku had been screaming for blood. It was time to let him have his way. His chakra sand flowed out of his gourd mingling with the natural sand and as the next wave of attackers came over the hill he grabbed three in his sand coffin. As the demon laughed he muttered "Desert Funeral" and squeezed. The blood from the men splashed across their shocked comrades giving the closest Puppet nin the opening to grab his next victim in his puppet's clutches. Gaara's eyes narrowed as he grabbed three more attackers. He couldn't keep up multiple attacks for long but a few would give his fellow escort members a chance to keep up with the next wave. They had already reduced the Sound attack by about half. He heard one of the men to his right cry out. Looking up he saw arrows. The enemy had realized that a close range attack was worthless and had changed tactics. Gaara raised his hands sending a wall of sand up into the air. 'Damn.' He needed his hands free to attack.

"Kankuro! Move back." He yelled to his brother. Kankuro whistled shrilly and motioned the men to move back. Gaara let the sand fall about waist high making a crude wall to crouch behind. Kankuro waved his thanks to Gaara and moved back to his puppets. Gaara concentrated on finding groups of attackers and sending his sand darts back at them. He was able to take out some of the archers that way. At the next volley of arrows he felt the wind rise behind him. Temari had moved forward and was using her fan to send the arrows back to them. Shikaku laughed as the arrows fell down wounding the very enemy who sent them. In a relatively short time their attackers had been reduced to a few stragglers. As the Sound Nin made to retreat Gaara looked at Kankuro.

"We're going to need to question them. Catch them if you can." Kankuro replied. Gaara sent out streams of sand running across the desert like snakes. Shikaku thought that was highly appropriate since Orochimaru was their leader. The sand grabbed the ankles of the running men tripping them and dragging them back to the Suna Nin. The men began to scream as they saw who had them. They had just seen what Gaara's 'Sand Funeral' could do. Gaara put on his fiercest face. He dangled the men upside down as Kankuro approached them.

"What is the meaning of this? Who ordered this attack?" Kankuro demanded. He saw the men looking at Gaara.

"This fearsome warrior is my brother. Cooperate and maybe I can save your lives." He taunted them. The enemy nin proceeded to spill out everything they knew.

As Kankuro and the other nin questioned them, Gaara went to check on Temari and the non ninja. It seems that three attackers snuck in while Temari was using her fan. The two escort ninja and none other than Yamanoto-san had killed them before they could kill the councilmen and take the scrolls. Gaara looked at Yamanoto-san in mild surprise.

"I told you I went to the academy." The old man chuckled. "I may be old but I'm not dead yet."

"Nor will you be if you can defend yourself like that." said Gaara with approval. Temari looked on in shock. Did Gaara just give someone a compliment? Her eyes followed him as he walked back to the entrance of the barn. She watched him interact with Kankuro, actually listening as he filled him in on the interrogation. Surely things were changing for Gaara if this kept up.

In the end the enemy had to die. They could not take them with them and they could not set them free to return to Orochimaru. Once the attackers had been searched, Gaara shifted his sand to hide the bodies and cover up the attack. No reason to call unwanted attention to themselves. They made preparations to spend the night in the barn. The non ninja were badly shaken and a couple of the escort had injuries. They were lucky hough. A couple arrow wounds and a few slash wounds were a small price to pay. The Suna Nin had seen Gaara's attacks but the councilmen and corps had only heard about the famous weapon. They seemed petrified of him as they sat down to eat their rations. Gaara was disgusted. He had clearly used his attacks in defense of the very people who now avoided him.

"I'll take first watch" he told his siblings as he left the barn. He jumped to the roof where he made himself comfortable. He concentrated on silencing Shikaku. The demon's bloodlust seemed to be fulfilled for the time being. He meditated, sending his chakra out to the sand, taking comfort in its familiarity. Dusk settled over the desert and Gaara settled in to keep watch. He felt a chakra signature approach and felt Kankuro set down beside him. Opening his eyes, he found that his brother had brought him dinner. They sat silently as Gaara ate, listening to the silence after the hectic day.

"Yamanoto-san is a pretty cool guy." Kankuro offered.

"Hn" Gaara replied.

"He's been talking about the Third Kazekage during dinner. He says you have a very similar fighting style. They went to the academy together, did you know that?"

"Yea, he mentioned that." said Gaara.

"It's cool to talk to someone who actually knew the Third. Father never talked about him. Then, the Kazekage never talked to us anyway did he?" Kankuro smiled sadly.

"Nope" Gaara answered.

"I just wanted to tell you, you were amazing today Bro. I'm glad to have you at my back. I wish the guys that spar with us could have seen you. They never get to see all that sand at work." Kankuro enthused.

"I didn't think they wanted to." said Gaara with a smirk.

"Well it is better when it's directed away from you." Kankuro smiled back.

"I guess." His brother replied with a half smile.

The boys sat in silence. Relaxing and listening to the rumble of voices coming from the barn.

"Do you want me to take over in a few hours?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara shook his head. "Na I got it."

"I'm off then. See you in the morning" Kankuro retired, leaving Gaara with his thoughts.

oOo

A/N So how am I doing. send me a note and let me know


	5. Chapter 5

The contingent left at dawn for River Country. They had traveled almost to the boarder of Wind Country the first day, so they should be able to finish the journey by lunch time today. Temari walked with her brothers, having given her camel to the wounded shin obi. She was not always her best first thing in the morning. Gaara had learned to give her a wide berth until she was awake. However, Kankuro was in high spirits talking with the other Puppet Nin animatedly. Temari was less than pleased.

"Quiet!" "Good Lord! What is with you heathens?" she grumbled.

"Not everyone chooses to sleep half their life away." Kankuro began to tease her. Gaara listened to his two siblings squabble. He just shook his head at them. Where their squabbling would once have driven him crazy, today it was just pleasant background noise. He was becoming more used to the two of them. He was starting to enjoy their company more. He liked that idea.

Gaara fell into step beside Yamanoto-san. The man was pleasant company even though they didn't talk much. It must be a byproduct of Yamanoto-san's approval, but most of the open panic the diplomatic corp. had shown Gaara last night was replaced with a large dose of respect and fear. Gaara didn't need their approval. Fear he could live with. It kept them from bothering him. He was just glad that he didn't have to deal with their open panic. People could be idiots.

By mid morning they came to the border of River and Wind. Once they crossed the bridge into River Country the roads were crowded with people going about their business. Gaara began to notice people giving them a wide berth. It seemed that once they realized they were from Wind country they were regarded with fear or downright hostility. Gaara turned to the older man walking beside him. Yamanoto-san nodded with regret.

"It seems our reputation is a little worse for wear." smiled the old man sadly. Gaara realized with a jolt just what it meant to be from the country that was unconditionally surrendering. His mood turned a little darker.

The entourage was able to make good time, and arrived in Nakatsugawa City in time to check into the Inn provided for them. They were informed that lunch would be served in half an hour. The diplomatic corp. sent a runner to the Leaf contingent informing them of their arrival and availability. The wounded were taken to the hospital to be checked over while the rest of the escort prepared for lunch.

Due to Gaara's sand armor he was always covered with sand. A unique side benefit of this was that Gaara was never dirty unless he wanted to be. Impurities would be swept away leaving only the clean sand behind. This made cleaning up from the journey very easy. While Temari fussed with Kankuro over who got the bathroom first, Gaara decided to inspect the Inn and surrounding area. If Sound sent any more attackers Gaara intended to be ready.

The Inn was a large building facing the main street. Behind the Inn were the stables and service areas. Across the street was a large park and farther down the street the shops started.

Gaara began to plan strategies and routes of escape without conscious thought. The park would be a good source of sand with its soil and minerals. The surrounding buildings would provide defensible places if they were attacked, but would also provide hiding places for the enemy. He knew from their briefing that the treaty would be signed at the Mayor's office and that the Leaf were staying at an Inn at the other end of town. Gaara walked down the street towards the Town Hall, scanning the area as he went. After years of training with Baki Sensei, Gaara's mind automatically stored information about landmarks. With that in mind he walked down the street toward the center of town. The Mayor's office was in the town hall, a large building with lots of windows and doors, pretty straight forward in its design. Gaara walked around the town square and headed back to the Inn.

Temari and Kankuro were coming down the stairs when he walked in the building. He joined then as they headed for the dining hall.

"So where did you go?" Temari demanded her mothering instincts kicking in.

"Hn" Gaara gave her a dirty look. "I went downtown to scout out the city." He turned to Kankuro.

"We'll need to meet with the men to plan the escort for in the morning."

"True." Kankuro replied. "Temari, find out if anyone is meeting with the Leaf delegation this afternoon. We want to make sure anyone who leaves has an escort, at least until the treaty is signed."

"Yes." Temari agreed. "Everyone is so tense it would only take some interference from Sound to delay the whole process." Brother and sister left to talk to the respective parties.

After lunch, Gaara and Kankuro met with the escort members, while Temari met with the councilmen and diplomatic corp. Once all plans were in place, the brothers headed out to work on their other mission. They walked to the business area, ending up at a little street side eatery. The brothers ordered drinks and Kankuro stuck up a conversation with the owner.

"So what are you boys doing in town?" the old man asked. Gaara left the talking up to Kankuro.

"We're passing through on our way to see our sister." he said. "We heard rumors that the treaty between Fire and Wind is being signed in this city so we thought we'd stick around a couple of days. Have you heard anything about it?"

The old man nodded. His shop was empty except for the boys and he was in the mood to gossip, "Oh yes, and quite an event it is too. The Mayor, he's all excited about hosting such a big event, but half the council's afraid Sound or one of the delegations will start something. Me, I don't know. I'm a little leery of those Wind shin obi. I hear they're the ones that started this whole mess."

Gaara frowned but Kankuro was a little more philosophic. You never hear well of yourself when you try to be sneaky.

"Is Wind really that bad? I heard that Orochimaru guy started it." He asked innocently.

"Don't get me started on that Orochimaru fella. Trade around here's been all disrupted by those Sound ninja of his. That's what I hear least ways." He started to say more but two families sat down at the next table and he walked away to wait on them. By the volume of their conversation the boys could tell the man would be busy for a while so they made their way on down the street.

Kankuro flirted with the girl at the laundry two streets over and found out that local patrols had been increased in the surrounding area. She had a brother who was a police officer, and a large chest that Kankuro seemed to be attracted to. Gaara rolled his eyes in disgust. Leaving Kankuro to his flirting, Gaara headed farther down town. He had seen geisha walking down the street toward the teahouse. Where there were geisha there were rich and powerful men. He hid himself in the bushes outside the window and closed his eyes. Sand slithered in between the cracks and an eye formed on the other side of the wall. Several men were having tea and talking politics.

"Mayor-san, have you met any of the treaty participants?" one of the men asked.

"Yes" replied the Mayor, full of self importance. "I paid a visit to both contingencies this afternoon."

"Anything interesting about them?" asked the businessman beside him. They were all looking for the latest gossip, to be the first with information about the treaty signing.

"It seems that Fire has chosen a candidate for Hokage. They have sent a delegation to approach the person. From what I could get from the Wind representative, they are still in the process of looking for a Kazekage." replied the Mayor.

"The former Kazekage's children are younger, are they not?" asked one of the geisha offering more tea.

"Not so young." smirked the Mayor's secretary. "It seems that He has a lovely marriageable daughter. I'm sure their council will waste no time in arranging a marriage to a powerful man to rule the country." The man had an oily voice that Gaara took instant exception to.

"She is a bit forceful, but I'm sure the right man can break her of that soon enough." said the secretary suggestively. The Mayor looked chagrined, but a couple of the men laughed. Gaara's eyes snapped open. His sand returned to him and he left to find Kankuro.

Kankuro was right where he left him. Well actually he was sitting with his arm around the laundress. Gaara grabbed him and pulled him off the girl, half dragging him down the street.

"Hey!" Kankuro yelled.

"Help me find something to break." Gaara demanded. Kankuro rolled his eyes and pointed to the park near the inn. Once under the cover of the trees, Gaara pulverized a pile of boulders and felt some of his tension start to leave.

"What did you find out?" guessed Kankuro correctly.

"I found the Mayor." grunted Gaara.

"Good job."

"He likes to gossip." Gaara ground out.

"Ok."

"Fire has a candidate for Hokage."

"Yea" pressed Kankuro.

"Wind hasn't chosen a Kage yet, but the former Kazekage's daughter would make an excellent political marriage, and if she doesn't like it he can break her." Gaara rasped out in frustration.

"What" yelped his brother? "Temari will never put up with that shit." He said adamantly.

…

"The Mayor said that?" demanded Kankuro.

"No, the man sitting next to him." Gaara replied.

"Let's hope Temari doesn't hear that crap." shuddered Kankuro. "They'd hear that explosion clear in Rock Country." Gaara nodded.

By mutual consent both boys headed back to the inn.

During dinner the diplomatic corp. reported that all the paperwork was in order for the signing the next morning. With Tamari's job done for the time being, she and Kankuro decided to go out for the evening and left Gaara to guard the inn. He wasn't opposed to the idea. He had a lot to think about from the day. He moved out to the stable roof. From this vantage point he could see three sides of the inn and most of the windows that his countrymen were behind. He mulled over the conversations he had heard during the day.

His pride was wounded. Not for himself, but for the people of Sunagakure. He was a tool to serve his village and through the false promises of one man the world believed he and his fellow shinobi had acted without honor. Orochimaru, he hated that man. He had half a mind to invent a new sand jutsu just to inflict pain on the man. He was unaware of the evil grin that split his face as Shukaku shared visions of the Snake's broken and bleeding body. The sand from the stable yard started to swirl.

Gaara was torn away from his thoughts by the sounds of the horses screaming. He jerked his mind out of the clutches of the sand demon and started his breathing exercises to calm his emotions. AARG, he hated when Shukaku did that. His mind was his own. No man or demon would tell him how to think or act. He would make his own set of rules to live by.

That reminded him of Naruto. He had made his own set of rules too. He was not defined by the monster that lived inside him. His rules made him stronger. They included precious people to help him and give him support.

Precious people, that brought his thoughts to Temari. He hoped the council didn't try to marry her off. Unlike Kankuro he had read the scrolls on the history of the Kazekage's family. Temari was still under age. A guardian could in fact sign a marriage certificate in her place. It had been done in the past. He hoped the council would not assign them a guardian. He was on the council; he just had to make sure the topic was squelched as soon as it was brought up. Besides, anyone who tried to 'break' Temari would soon find themselves on the inside of a desert coffin. He could guarantee it.

Around midnight two of the puppet nin came to relieve him of guard watch. He let them. His thoughts were such a jumble he really needed to meditate. He could already feel a headache coming on. A few hours of meditation were as restful as sleep, and he had a feeling tomorrow would be a trying day.

The inn was bustling the next morning. They were to meet the delegation from Fire Country at the Mayor's office at 8:50. A gloom seemed to hang over the whole contingent. Gaara assumed that the same thoughts that had stolen his peace of mind were on everyone else's mind. It was a deep sense of loss for his countries honor and grief that the very campaign that was to insure this country's future had ended up weakening it. The escort lined up before the front door of the inn and was shortly joined by the councilmen and diplomatic corp. It was a short walk to the Town Hall where they were met by the Mayor and bowed inside. The Leaf contingent followed moments later and all parties met in the main room of the hall. A large table was set in the middle of the room. On it two scrolls were set, one for each Kage and council. After a minimal greeting the Mayor handed Yamanoto-san the first pen. He signed his name on the line bearing his name and in turn handed the pen to the other Wind councilman. In all the treaty was signed by the councilmen of both countries and the head diplomat of each country. After all signatures were in place the Mayor of Nakatsugawa signed and notarized each copy. Gaara looked at his watch. The whole ceremony had taken 23 minutes. He noticed that Yamanoto-san looked older by several years at the end of the ceremony. Gaara felt the pain of his country clear to the center of his chest. This would never happen again, he vowed. While he had blood in his veins and was a servant of Sunagakure, his country would never be brought down so low again. He could tell by the looks on Kankuro and Temari's faces they felt the same way.

A/N

The 'delegation' who are sent after the Hokage candidate are Naruto and Jiryiah.

See episode 86

FYI I have patterned the surrender of Wind Country on the unconditional surrender of Japan in WWII. I thought it was interesting

.

If you took time to read this far please review!! How am I doing? Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the long wait to update. The kids went back to school and we had chaos for a while. I Promise to try to do better. Thanks Crystal.

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Gaara's unease lasted until breakfast the next day. Temari had just come from an early morning meeting with the Diplomatic corp. The senior members had been extremely pleased with the

Fire Nation for keeping its promise to reinstate the original peace treaty. Because the Wind Country had just made an unconditional surrender they were in a vicarious position. This show of good faith put the whole delegation in a more optimistic frame of mind.

The day would be spent in meetings for the councilmen and diplomatic staff. As Temari was a junior staff member, she was given the day off.

Good" said Kankuro when she told him at breakfast. "We'll use the rest of the day for our other mission." All traces of Wind Country were left behind. Kankuro's face paint, Temari's headband and Gaara's gourd were left in their room. Kankuro grumbled loudly about not having his face paint. Temari really had no idea why he wore it so much anyway. It was part of the Puppet corp. uniform, but he wasn't required to wear it every day. It wasn't like he had anything to hide. He was handsome in his own way, although she would never tell him so. Perhaps it was because he looked so much like father. She never thought about that though because he never acted like father. She shook her head. She had one brother who barely talked and one brother who hid who he was behind a mask. Their family truly did put the 'fun' in dysfunctional.

The siblings decided to split up. The boys were headed to the tavern and the eatery they had visited the day before. Temari was going to the market. Being the practical woman she was she planned to kill two birds with one stone.

Living with a household of men, she was always happy when she got the chance to shop. Temari planned to buy some clothes and supplies while she was there. It would make talking to the shop owners that much easier. She bustled from stall to stall until she noticed a younger woman watching her from the front of her shop.

"You want a new look, yes?" She smiled at Temari. "I notice you have a good eye for color."

"Yes" replied Temari. "I'm going on a trip and I need to replenish my wardrobe."

"Come" the woman motioned Temari to the back of the store.

"Try these. They are very comfortable." The shop keeper pulled out a blue dress with a wide fuchsia belt. The style was less constricting than what she was used to wearing. She loved the beautiful blue color. The longer style would be easier to manage when her fan was whipping the wind around her knees too.

"Oh this is wonderful" Temari exclaimed. She pulled out three other dresses also. She was able to find some nice kimonos to wear to the Tea houses she would be going to also.

"I'm also shopping for my two brothers. Do you have any suggestions of where to go?" asked Temari. "It can't be too fancy or constricting, nothing to get in the way as they work."

The shop keeper thought a moment.

"My brother in law is a tailor and has the next stall. My husband is always happy with what he makes. I can introduce you." Temari gladly paid the woman for her purchases. The seamstress then walked her to the next stall. "Mehu!" the woman called. An older man walked out of the back of his shop with a measuring string over his shoulder.

"Yes, dear sister in law" he smiled in answer.

"This young woman has been kind enough to buy several of my dresses and is looking for some clothes for her brothers. I know your brother is always happy with what you make and so I recommended you to her." She replied shyly.

"It would be my pleasure to help you" said Mehu pleasantly. He motioned Temari to follow him. He stood before shelves of shirts and pants. The shirts were made in the traditional River style with no collars. The pants were made of sturdy fabric, but it was not stiff like Temari expected. She picked out a couple items.

"I need to get my brothers, I'll be right back." She walked down the rows of stalls looking for the men of her team. She found Gaara and Kankuro at the food stall having yet another breakfast. They had completed the first part of their mission and were waiting on Temari.

"Hey Guys, I think I found some clothes for you both." The two groaned with typical male enthusiasm for shopping.

"What! You're supposed to be working" Kankuro hissed.

"Hn" Gaara nodded. Trust his sister to turn a mission into torture.

Temari grabbed an arm of each of her brothers and headed down the street. The boys knew they were defeated.

"Please don't drag this out" Kankuro pleaded. "It's just clothes."

"Don't be a baby. I waited until I found something before I got you didn't I" she replied.

The tailor greeted them as they entered his stall. Temari held up the clothes for the boy's inspection.

"Fine" said Gaara. He picked out some sturdy brown pants and a shirt and he was done. Temari rolled her eyes. Kankuro took longer. If he couldn't wear his colorful face paint, then he was going to choose something colorful in his shirt. Temari kept pulling him away from the more outrageous ones. "But I liked that one" Kankuro whined. Gaara wandered to the back of the store as he waited for Kankuro to make up his mind. In the back corner he found some unusual overcoats. They had the trademark short collar and were split at the bottom of the coat.

"I make these for some of the men who work the caravans. The split robe makes it easier to walk but protects their clothes from dirt. The tailor held one out to Gaara who uncharacteristically actually tried it on. It was a perfect fit.

"I made this for the son of one of my customers. Unfortunately they were killed in a raid a few months ago. Some Sound ninja I heard" said the shopkeeper sadly. "What would they want with a caravan family? Who knows?" The man turned back to the rack and produced a leather vest that buckled down the front.

"This was made to match it. Would you like to try it also?" Once clothed, Gaara studied himself in the polished silver used as a mirror. He found the outfit comfortable and functional. Temari and Kankuro walked to the back of the store. Kankuro had finally made a decision.

"Wow, Gaara, good choice." exclaimed his sister. She couldn't believe he actually picked something out. She decided to pay before he changed his mind. As Temari finished the transaction, the brothers stood outside the front of the stall.

"We should split up again to cover more area." Kankuro thought out loud.

"Yes" Gaara agreed.

And so they separated to wander the market place and see if they could pick up any gossip or information about Sound and its associates.

The three split up with plans to meet at the inn for dinner. Gaara began to walk the streets between the stalls. His sharp mind was thinking over what the tailor had said. What would Sound Nin want with a caravan? These people were typically nomads who traveled between cities. Their cargo could be their only wealth. Gaara retraced his steps and returned to the clothing stall.

"Hello, Sir" said the tailor. "Did you forget anything while you were here?" he asked.

"No" said Gaara in his deep voice. "I'm curious. What trade was the caravan family in that you were telling me about?"

The tailor was puzzled for a moment as if remembering their conversation. "Oh, herbs, spices, medicines. They traded with me for the spices my wife uses. It was very handy." He answered. Gaara thanked him and left as abruptly as he came. Once again, he wandered the stalls. This time he was looking for the caravan families he knew would have stalls here. He found a group of them in a corner of the market. One sold silks and tapestries, another sold copper pots and decorations, but the last one sold books. Gaara nodded to himself. He wouldn't fit in at the other shops but a book seller was good. As he entered the stall he heard the men folk talking about their travels. 'Sounds like I came at the right time' he thought to himself. He began to look through the books. The owner approached him.

"May I help you find something?" he inquired politely. Gaara shook his head.

"I'm waiting on my sister" he replied. He was pleased with his alibi. He could look as long as he liked and no one would question him.

"Ah yes, the women they like to shop don't they?" laughed the owner. Gaara just grunted. He had talked to a lot of people today, and he was frankly tired of it. When the man saw that he got no response, he returned to his conversation with the other nomads.

Gaara actually liked to read. He would visit the Kazekage's library during the long nights when everyone was asleep. He read history and geography, poetry and folk lore. He would read until he found something interesting then would ponder it during his meditation time. It helped keep Shukaku occupied. The demon had an opinion about everything. He didn't usually agree, it usually started with kill and ended with mangle. It gave his host some peace as the demon ranted about his latest topic.

Gaara listened to the nomads talk as he browsed.

"We should ask one of the Kages for protection" said one man.

"They aren't going to be interested in us." replied another.

"Fire nation just lost their Hokage. Wind might help us since some of our families are from there. However their Kazekage is dead too and has yet to be replaced." answered the copper merchant. "We're on our own." Gaara walked up to the counter with his purchases.

"I see you found some things." said the bookseller.

"Hn" Gaara replied.

"That looks like a mighty big book" said the seller, looking at Gaara's book on history. Gaara nodded. Seeing a way to get information the boy asked.

"I heard you talking. How many of your caravans have been attacked?" he asked.

"Seven" the man replied. "There is no rhyme or reason to these attacks." said the man. "We just pray we are not at the wrong place at the wrong time." Gaara took his books and left the book stall. Finding a stump just to the side of the business, he sat down to read his books. Actually he was listening to the men talk, being sure to turn a page now and then to look authentic. After about an hour he left, looking for another group of caravan families.

Making his way through the stalls, he happened to see Kankuro out of the corner of his eye. He was at a booth that sold weapons and knives. Gaara made his way to the booth making sure to distance himself from Kankuro.

"This katana has a nice weight to it." Kankuro commented to the owner. He was balancing the blade across his hand. "Are these made locally?' The owner was happy to talk since the young man seemed interested in buying. "I get part of my wares locally. We have several weapons makers in the area, but the katana you were studying and some of my better weapons are brought by caravan from Waterfall Country. They have some excellent weapons masters there."

"Very nice" Kankuro commented. He noticed a head of bright red hair out of the corner of his eye. He nodded to Gaara and tilted his head to the side to let him know he would meet him around the corner. He watched Gaara walk around the corner, then turned back to the proprietor.

"I'll take it."

He found Gaara sitting across from a street side vendor, two cups and a plate of Nikuman on the bench beside him.

"What did you find out?" he asked his brother. Gaara handed him a cup and helped himself to a dumpling. Kankuro shook his head at his brother. He could be a bottomless pit sometimes.

"You know we've had two breakfasts already right?"

Gaara shrugged his thoughts obviously elsewhere. Kankuro drank his tea and waited for Gaara to collect his thoughts.

"What do you know about caravans?" Gaara asked in his low quiet voice.

"Why?" Kankuro countered.

"All my inquiries lead to caravans. The man yesterday talked about the trade being disrupted by sound ninja attacking the caravans. The tailor today mentioned a caravan attacked by sound nins. I found a group of caravan families talking. They've had seven groups attacked so far. They carry medicine, herbs, weapons. Those were on Baki's list to look out for, and they were all attacked by Sound Nin. It would appear that Orochimaru has found a way to get what he needs without paying."

"I see what you're saying." replied Kankuro. "How does he know what each caravan is carrying? Does he just attack at random?

"That's what we need to find out."

"I have an idea." said Kankuro thoughtfully. "I'll look into it and meet you back later." He looked down just as Gaara finished the last dumpling. "Thanks for saving me one" he said sarcastically.

"No problem." Gaara picked up his cup with a smirk. Kankuro rolled his eyes. The only problem with Gaara opening up more was that now he got to see just what a little shit his brother could be sometimes.

The boys split up again. Gaara found another caravan group. It was getting later in the day and he began to think they might close down before he found out any useful information. This group included a jeweler, a maker of musical instruments and a spice merchant. Gaara sat under the shade of a nearby tree and pulled his book out again. It seemed to work last time. He'd try it again. A few minutes later a young boy came out under the trees. He had what appeared to be a lute of some kind. He tuned the strings and began to play. Many nights Gaara had heard the music of the caravans across the desert of Suna. It was one of the few things he truly enjoyed. 

The young man was talented. Gaara listened and turned a page for good measure. The boy, who was probably about eight, stopped playing and turned to Gaara, "I'm glad you like my music."

"Hn" Gaara frowned.

"You were tapping your foot." the boy smiled. Gaara looked down to see his foot still tapping at the remembered beauty of the music. He frowned at the traitorous appendage.

"You play very well." Gaara acknowledged. The boy smiled.

"My father made my Dan Ty Ba. He is the best instrument maker in the world. I could not help but play it well."

"If he's the best why do you travel instead of having a permanent store?" Gaara asked curious in spite of himself.

"We have a store in The Hidden Cloud village, but once a year we travel to Wind Country with my uncle to buy gems. Our instruments are very expensive, so we take orders for them during the year and then deliver them during the trip with my uncle."

The boy's explanation made sense. Gaara knew that gems were one of Wind Country's exports.

"You take orders and then deliver your wares to the customer." Gaara clarified

"Yes" the boy nodded. "My uncle sends couriers out about once a month. My father will sometimes send some of the smaller merchandise with them."

"That's very interesting." Gaara commented. The boy smiled innocently. Glad to be able to show off his business knowledge to the older boy. He went back to playing his lute. Gaara listened for a while, until he noticed the shadows signaling the dinner hour approaching. He stood and bowed to the boy before taking his leave.

Gaara found Temari back in the room at the Inn. She was wearing a different dress and he gave her a puzzled look.

"I went to the tea house today." She answered his unspoken question. "I met the Mayor's wife and a few other ladies. They knew who I was so I wasn't able to get all the information I wanted, but I did find a few things out about the area. We'll talk as soon as your idiot brother gets here." He saw her walk into the bathroom and heard the water in the tub. I seemed as though she would be occupied for a while.

Gaara made his way to the roof. His patience was starting to wear thin. He had spent too many days with too many people. He also preferred the dry heat of the desert and the open spaces. He settled down in the warm sun as evening started to fall. He began to meditate picturing the waves of sand and the rock formations of his native land.

Temari found him there at dinner time. Kankuro had still not returned but they had no reason to suppose that he was in trouble. Gaara walked with his sister into the dining room. The members of their contingent were discussing plans to return to Suna the next day. Both members of the council were in favor of it. The Diplomatic corp. was satisfied that all possible ends had been tied. Temari turned to Gaara. They were supposed to have an additional day to collect information.

"What do you think? Should I try to come up with an excuse to delay our return? I still don't know what you and Kankuro found out today." Temari bit her lip in frustration.

"Let's see what he says when he gets here." Gaara replied. Temari regarded him with surprised eyes. Gaara was never one to be patient, unless of course it was for revenge. It was unusual for him advise caution. She decided it made for a nice change.

Finally as dinner was being served, they saw their brother walk in.

"Glad you could join us." Temari ribbed him. "Usually you're the first in to dinner."

"Give a guy a break." Kankuro groused. "I've been busy all afternoon."

"What we really need to find out is if you found anything new this afternoon. The rest of the contingent is planning to go home tomorrow. Is that a problem?" his sister asked.

"Hell yes." Kankuro muttered. "I spent all afternoon finding Yuki's brother."

"Yuki" said his younger brother, puzzled.

"The girl from the laundry!" Kankuro ground out between his teeth. "Remember?"

"Hn. You never told me here name." Gaara defended himself.

"Her brother is a policeman." Kankuro explained to Temari. "I talked him into meeting me at the pub for lunch tomorrow. If you want me to find out about caravans, I need to be there." He told Gaara.

"Problem" muttered Gaara.

"Leave it to me." said Temari. She had a very determined look on her face. The serving staff brought the first course of their dinner. Their sister smiled when they were served thick chowder as a first course.

After dinner Temari paid close attention to where the different members of the party from Suna would be.

"You two go on up, I'll be right there." She told her brothers. They gave her a funny look but were too used to her being in charge to question her. 'I've got to plan this just right.' She thought to herself. She heard Yamanoto- san and the head of the diplomatic corps head up the stairs to the sitting room. Being a kinoichi gave her an added advantage as she jumped out the window and ran up the side of the building. She ducked into the sitting room window and had a moment to hold her face over the lamp before she heard footsteps outside the room. As the door started to open, she heard Yamanoto's voice. 'Good' Temari thought. She only wanted to hold this performance once. She quickly splashed some of the chowder onto the floor and rolled the bowl under the nearest couch. Her hand grabbed the side of a chair. She began to make retching noises, moaning and holding her stomach. Several people walked into the room.

"Temari! My dear young woman, are you alright?" exclaimed a concerned Yamanoto-san. One of the female aids rushed over to help her. She brushed her hair out of her face.

"Temari-chan you're burning up." She said with concern.

"Oh I'm sure I'm ok." replied Temari weakly. "I don't think the chowder agreed with me. I haven't felt well since I had refreshments at the teahouse today."

"Nonsense, we can't have you traveling while you're sick." exclaimed the head of the Diplomatic corps. A pompous man, he had always taken great pride in having the Kazekage's daughter in his corps, and the reflected glory there in. Temari had planned to use that to her advantage when she planned her 'illness'.

"We can wait the extra day to make sure everyone is well before we leave, right Councilman."

"I'm sure that will be fine." Yamanoto- san agreed. The female aid sent Temari to her room and promised to request medicine from the inn keeper. On the way to her room Temari stopped by her brother's room.

"Well, I bought us extra time." she told her brothers. "I just have to stay in bed so everyone will believe it."

"What did you do?" asked Kankuro.

"Remember how you always played sick to stay home from the Academy?" Temari smirked, Kankuro tried to look shocked. Gaara snickered. His brother was a true thespian when it came to playing sick.

"Let's just say I learned from the best." "You better fill me in on what's going on later

You two owe me! Be prepared to pay."

Kankuro shook his head. Temari always collected on debts owed to her.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's notes

To make parts of this chapter more clear, here are a few notes to help you along.

The brother's sparing partners are: Taro, Daisuke, Norio, Sadao, Keiji, and Arashi (from chapter 2)

Doujutsu and Hijutsu are blood limit jutsu- for example Byakugan or Sharingan

Kekkei Genkai is the Japanese word for blood limit.

I & I Intellegence and Investigation dept

oOo oOo oOo oOo

Temari had to wait for her update from her brothers. Her last day in Nakatsugawa City was spent in bed. It was the fault of her oldest brother. At breakfast the next day the head of the Diplomatic Corp had ask Kankuro about his sister's health. In a fit of contrariness he had told the man that Temari was worse. The man had sent an aide to set with her and the wife of the Innkeeper to check on her. Gaara could feel the killing intent two rooms away. Kankuro on the other hand, laughed his butt off. Gaara washed his hands of both of them.

Shortly after breakfast Yamanoto- san sent for Gaara. He and the other council member were going to visit one of the local lords. They had requested two shinobi to accompany them. Yamanoto wanted Gaara to be one of them. Gaara agreed and soon left with the men. It was late afternoon by the time he returned.

With preparations for the return to Suna beginning, talk about the other mission was put on hold.

A day and a half later the siblings walked in their front door, dropping packs and weapons in the living room.

"Tell me we still have some food." yelled Kankuro. He walked into the kitchen and began to rummage through the cabinets.

Temari grabbed her bags from her purchases and headed up the stairs to her room. "I'll be in the bathtub. Don't interrupt me for any reason. I mean it" she called from the stairs.

Gaara grabbed his pack. He followed Temari up the stairs to his room. He wanted quiet. He had been with too many people for too many days. He emptied his pack, and then sat on his bed to meditate. The quiet started to settle his restlessness. He breathed steadily in and out letting his mind empty from the mission. As his chakra centered, sounds became more distinct. He heard water splash in the bathroom. Temari began to hum to herself. Shukaku began to make comments about a naked woman in the tub…

'What!' damn. There was no way he was listening to that. Gaara hurriedly left his room, heading downstairs. The living room was out. Kankuro was on the couch with the stereo on. He turned left and headed for the Kazekage library. It was a seldom used room in the house. He supposed 

that at one time it had doubled as an office, but for as long as he could remember the Kazekage's office had been in the Kazekage building. He didn't bother turning on the lights, his eyes would be closed. He settled into one of the leather chairs. The redhead took in the peace and quiet. He focused on his meditation. His chakra focused. Gaara heard the sound of bird's wings and the gentle tap at the window. The tap got louder, and louder. The stupid bird was pounding into the window.

"Is someone gonna get that?" yelled Kankuro from the living room. His little brother unwound himself from the chair and opened the window. As his sand took the bird in a choke hold it dropped its scroll into the room.

"Sabaku sou sou" he growled angrily. In a burst of feathers and blood, the bird was gone. "Damn it' what now. He picked up the scroll, reading it on the way to the living room. He chucked it at Kankuro's head.

"What is it?" His older brother asked.

"I'm leaving now." growled Gaara walking out the door and into the street. Kankuro opened the scroll and read: Debriefing for mission. My office. One hour. Baki sensei.

"Crap that means I've got to tell Temari." Kankuro knew how pleased she would be when her bath was interrupted. Double crap.

An hour later found the three siblings in Baki's office. Their sensei faced them across his desk.

"The Councilmen and Head of Diplomacy have briefed me on your trip to River Country. They praised you highly for your efforts in defending the contingency against Sound. They were most pleased at how you conducted yourselves during the mission. You bring great honor to your country in this way." Baki addressed them solemnly. "Were you able to learn anything from the nin you interrogated after the battle?" he addressed Kankuro.

"Not really. He mostly babbled about it being a great honor to die for Orochimaru. I had threatened him with Gaara's sand coffin if he didn't talk. I don't get it. Not only does the snake get then in his service, but they want to die for him.

Baki frowned at the Sound nin's stupidity.

"How about your other mission, what were you able to find out?"

Kankuro looked toward his brother, who still seemed to be pissed about something. It looked like it was up to him.

"In talking to the locals we learned that several of the caravans in the area have been attacked by Sound Nin." "Gaara actually put it all together." Kankuro offered.

"There have been seven attacks in the last few weeks." Gaara added. "The caravans have carried medicine, herbs and weapons that we know of.

"It seems that Orochimaru has found a way of getting his supplies without paying." said Kankuro.

"I was told that caravan merchants may sometimes take orders for the products they sell. One of these merchants was from Lightening Country. It would be a small thing to place an order for something and steal it before it makes its destination. They seem to travel a long distance." reported Gaara.

Baki nodded.

"The last day in River Country I was able to meet a policeman. He told me that the caravan trail reaches from Lightening to Wind Country. It's also called the 'Silk Road' because of the silk trade. It runs from Lightening, past Rice Country, across the northern border of Fire, past Waterfall and Rain. There it splits and either goes across Bird Country or across the northern border of River to Wind." Kankuro pulled a small map out of his pocket and spread it on the table.

Temari drew closer. "I went to the local teahouse. I met the Mayor, his wife and several officers from his board. Because they knew who I was I was not able to get all the information I wanted, but I started a conversation on Kekkei Genkai. The Mayor actually seemed to know what he was talking about. They mentioned Rain, Water, Waterfall and Fire as being the Countries with the most Doujutsu. Maybe that's where the teams should focus their information gathering."

Gaara spoke to Kankuro. "Waterfall was were the weapons came from that the armament seller showed you.

"You're right." remembered his brother.

"It would be my recommendation that someone join one of the caravans. Find out who they deliver to. They should head for Lightening Country; however they may find enough information before they go that far. They should pay careful attention to Waterfall Country as they have both weapons masters and Doujutsu. With any hope the caravan would be attacked and the soldiers could be followed to their hide out." Gaara stated concisely in his deep voice.

Temari shook her head in wonder. "Gaara, only you would recommend joining a caravan in the hopes that it would get attacked." Why not follow at a safe distance?"

"It would impede one's ability to gather information." Gaara replied as if Temari hadn't considered all the possibilities.

"Temari pulled herself up to her full height. "I'll have you know…" Kankuro cut her off with a wave of his hand. She'd never win against Gaara anyhow.

"Baki, have you heard any more information from the Investigation and Intelligence office?" he asked cutting through the argument between his sister and brother.

"No Orochimaru still eludes us. We've heard he has plans for a new weapon, but what or who that is we don't know yet. I will be presenting your information to I & I. Then the board will decide on the next step to take. Get some rest while you can." Baki said as he dismissed them

The meeting was over so the three headed toward home.

"Let's eat before we go home." said Kankuro. "All we have left at home are some cans of soup."

"Yea." said Temari tiredly. "I'll get some groceries tomorrow."

They ended up at a small eatery a few blocks from their house. It was where they usually ended up when they ran out of groceries or they were too tired to cook. They had just placed their order when two men entered the restaurant. Kankuro started when the chair beside him was pulled out. He looked up to see Taro and Daisuke grinning at him.

"So the delinquent sparring partners have returned." smiled Taro.

"Hey, what have you guys been up to?" Kankuro smirked back.

Taro plopped into the seat next to Temari. Daisuke grabbed a chair and sat at the end of the table.

"Nothing as exciting as you guys, from what I hear." replied Taro. "The grapevine says you ran into some Sound ninja on the way to River."

"We did indeed." said Kankuro with another smirk. "We took care of them."

"Yes, we heard that two brothers in the fight were taking out Sound ninja right and left," added Daisuke.

"And anyone that got through was put down by the lovely and lethal Temari chan." Taro leaned against Temari's shoulder. She relaxed against him. She knew he didn't mean anything by it. The man was handsome and a born flirt.

"Don't you forget it." She replied with a saucy tilt to her head. She loved to flirt as much as the next girl, but she was no push over. Anyone who had fought her realized this. Taro was one of them.

"Yea, it turned out to be a pretty good little battle." Kankuro conceded. "You should have seen Gaara and his sand." Those were usually words that struck fear into the hearts of Suna's residents, but the men could tell that Kankuro was genuinely proud of his brother's accomplishments. The waitress brought their food and the siblings spent the rest of the dinner hour telling their friends about their trip to River.

Gaara actually found it to be a pleasant experience. He still didn't add much to the conversation. However, he was content to listen. He and Daisuke talked briefly about what to use for sparring the next morning. He would be glad to start sparring again. He hadn't really fought since the battle and he was feeling restless.

All six of their sparring partners were there the next morning, mostly to hear about their trip to River Country Gaara suspected. Between each match they would ask questions. Kankuro made the battle sound more exciting every time he told it. Gaara was practicing his taijutsu with Norio, but he could hear his brother clearly.

"So Gaara," Keiji yelled. "Did all that really happen?"

"He's so full of shit" Gaara huffed ducking a swing from Norio.

"Hey, who's telling this story any way?" Kankuro yelled good naturedly. "You come over here if you can do better." Gaara shook his head, a half smile on his face and turned back to his sparring partner.

The morning ended with Kankuro taking a lot of ribbing from the other nin.

Later Gaara accompanied Temari to the council meeting. Yamanoto san and the other council member gave their report on the treaty signing. From what Gaara could tell not much had been accomplished in either finding Orochimaru or a qualified candidate for Kazekage. It was a disappointing meeting to be sure. As He and Temari were preparing to leave, Baki came up to talk to them.

"The council has another mission for you" said Baki. "You, Temari and Kankuro will be collecting information for the I&I. You did well enough on the last one, we have another for you. You'll be traveling as a family group between here and Lightening Country. You will leave day after tomorrow and be gone for at least two weeks. I will meet you later with your mission scroll." The council meeting broke up and Baki left to supervise the details of the mission.

Temari turned to Gaara,"I guess I won't need to get many groceries than will I."

The siblings were setting down to eat that evening, when there was a knock on the door. Temari answered it to find Baki sensei on their doorstep

"Baki sensei, come in. We're just having dinner. I'll get a plate so you can join us." Temari welcomed him. While she walked into the kitchen, Baki glanced at the brothers. "Is it edible?" Gaara took a hesitant bite and nodded. Kankuro tried his and agreed. "Not too bad". Baki looked relieved as he sat in his chair. Temari had never really had anyone to teach her how to cook. The dishes she was familiar with were usually pretty good. It was the spur of the moment or experimental dishes that turned out badly. Temari came back with a plate and silverware for their sensei.

"So do you need something, Baki?" asked Temari.

"We need to discuss your mission." he replied. "The board was impressed with your recommendation. We will be joining a caravan as travelers under their protection. We will start in the River country and travel through Rain country. Your cover will be that your father has recently died. You are traveling to Lightening to join family there. I thought it best to stick to the truth as much as possible." His three students nodded their understanding.

"In Rain country we will split up. I will be continuing into Bird and Earth country. You three will continue on through the countries of Grass, Waterfall and Rice."

"Baki, why are we splitting up?" asked Temari curiously.

"We believe that one adult and three adolescents will look too much like a Chumin team, especially the closer you get Rice country. The Sound Nins there have been on the alert for possible spies. This has made it very hard for our men to get any information. Teenagers will not be immediately perceived as ninja, especially in a family unit like yourselves. We have the luxury of three people that look like each other. However you will need to make some changes in your appearance."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Kankuro.

"Well Kankuro, you will need to wear something besides your Puppet Nin uniform." replied Baki. Kankuro frowned. At least he had the clothes Temari had bought in Nakatsugawa.

"You'll have to do without your face paint too." Baki added with a smirk.

"I hate that!" grumbled Kankuro in protest. Temari and Gaara snickered at his expression.

"Gaara, you'll need to do a transformation jutsu. Since the Chunin exams more people know who Sabaku no Gaara is, including the Sound Nin especially after the last battle. You need to change the red hair and the tattoo. You're too recognizable." instructed his sensei. Gaara's face looked like a thunder cloud.

"Is that truly necessary?"

"I don't believe the mission will succeed unless you do." said Baki truthfully. As Gaara's sensei, Baki always tried to be absolutely honest with him. It was the only way to gain and keep his trust. He had joined Temari and Kankuro in taking lessons with Baki at a very young age. Gaara had been fearful of people because of their treatment of him as a jinchuriki, but after the first assassination attempt Gaara had been very distrustful of adults. In contrast to his father's schemes and lies, Baki sensei made sure to be completely honest with his student. That was the reason Gaara was willing to listen to his instructions in this matter. Gaara was not happy with the idea of a henge. However, he was willing to listen to Baki for the sake of the mission.

"Alright" Gaara said gruffly.

They were done with dinner, so Temari and Kankuro took the plates into the kitchen while Gaara and Baki sensei talked about Gaara's transformation jutsu.

"Do it now so you can make sure it stays in place for the trip." suggested Baki. Gaara scowled at him. He was trained to do the jutsu. Therefore there would be no problem. However he did it anyway. He performed the hand signs and appeared as a blonde as Temari and Kankuro came back into the room. Temari was carrying cake for dessert and almost dropped it. She turned to look at Kankuro and saw that he had an astonished look on his face too. How do you tell your very touchy younger brother he looks like a girl! With his fair skin and pale green eyes he looked like Temari's younger sister. At twelve Gaara was lithe and had the body of a gymnast, which was to say that he didn't have a lot of bulky muscles.

"Dude, you're going to want to tweak that some." said Kankuro without hesitation.

"What?" asked Gaara with a frown?

"Go look in the mirror." Was all Temari would say about the matter. Gaara turned to Baki who looked a little flabbergasted himself. Gaara knew he had done the jutsu right. He couldn't think what was wrong with his team that they would look at him like that. He shoved his chair back and headed for the bathroom with his temper barely under control. He could hear Kankuro start to laugh as Temari told him to "shut up". Gaara turned the corner into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Temari's face looked back at him. "AAUUGGHH" His siblings heard his yell from the bathroom. Kankuro instantly cracked up and Temari bit her lip to stop the laughter before it could start. Even Baki had a smirk on his face.

Gaara was gone for a long time. Temari finally cut and served the cake while they waited on him. While they had all laughed about the incident, none of them were dumb enough to intrude on Gaara after the yell they had heard come out from the bathroom. He finally came with brown hair about the same shade as Kankuro. The glare on his face dared any of them to comment on the change. Kankuro of course couldn't resist. He walked over to Gaara and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Good choice, Bro. we guys need to stick together." Temari smiled, with his brown hair he and Kankuro looked like two peas in a pod. She had never realized how much the three of them looked alike. With three colors of hair, it was easy to miss.

"You look very handsome." She told Gaara simply. He looked at her in surprise, as if expecting her to make another comment. When she didn't he nodded his head uncertainly. He sat down to eat his cake as Baki began to discuss the mission again.

"Temari, here are your funds for the trip." said Baki handing a wallet to her.

"We will follow the protocol we usually use. Gaara will be team leader, Temari you will take care of the finances, and Kankuro concentrate on information gathering." It was a protocol the three were used to. Although Gaara was the youngest of the siblings, his mind was the most logical. He had proven to be exceptional at planning ahead and reacting to emergencies from a young age. Temari was in charge of the funds. Having a sharp mind, she was always within a few cents of staying on budget. She was not hesitant to haggle over a price that was too high. While her brothers might accept being over charged, Temari would not stand for it. Kankuro was always the best at gathering information. He could talk to anyone, and he loved to talk. He always found the best places to eat and the best roads to travel. Because he looked older than he was he could also go to the surrounding pubs and find out what the locals were talking about. This division of responsibility was a pattern the siblings had fallen into and it worked well. They had used it on other missions and the Chunin exams too.

"You each have your strengths as you've proven on your last mission. Use them to identify Orochimaru's weaknesses. Just keep in mind that he requires; people, money, and weapons. Look for these three things. You know what we need to know. Be especially careful the closer you get to Rice Country. As of now missions to Rice are A and S class. This will be your first true solo mission." He looked each of his students in the eye, seeing that they understood the responsibility the council was bestowing on them. Before we end tonight, I want to tell you that I'm proud of the way you've served your village since the Chunin Day battle. You've each stepped up to help fill the void left by the death of our Kazekage. I know you'll do well."

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Poor Gaara. It's funny to picture him looking like Temari.

What do you think? Send me a review and let me know. Thanks, Crystal


	8. Chapter 8

Welcome to chapter 8- Thanks for your patience! I had a bit of writers block but hopefully that's behind me now. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Temari surveyed the desert around her from the back of her camel. She was following Baki sensei in the line of camels making up their caravan. The sun was beating down and the wind whipped at her chadurn, the scarf like headgear that protected them from the intense heat.

Although they were supposed to act like civilians, Temari used her wind jutsu to keep the scarf on her head. She suspected that Gaara was doing something similar with his sand since his wrap hardly moved. Kankuro however was fun to watch. His scarf seemed to dance away from him like one of his puppets. He hardly ever wore civilian clothes, preferring his cat like headgear from the Puppet Corp. It buckled under his chin and stayed in place. She watched him finally wrap the scarf twice around his head and tie it in a huge knot. He looked like a mummy. She chuckled to herself, glad that no one could hear.

They had joined the caravan the day before. She had forgotten how slow common citizens traveled. Even the trip to River had been with ninja and those used to traveling in the diplomatic service. She was sure she was going to lose her mind. She just hoped Gaara was able to be patient.

Gaara on the other hand, was actually enjoying the peace and quiet this mode of travel provided. No one could talk much due to the single file line of the camels. The animals didn't require him to guide them. He was in the middle of the line and he could tell that the animal was trained to follow the exact distance behind the camel in front of it. His saddle was padded and somewhat comfortable so he decided to meditate. As the warm sun shone on him, the wind whipped through his clothes cooling his body and relaxing him. He was always more comfortable around sand. He knew that later in the mission he would be traveling through some of the wettest countries but for now he would enjoy the desert as his camel rocked him into deep relaxation.

Kankuro was uncomfortable. His legs were hanging at an odd angle from his seat. It was his own fault. Instead of checking his equipment like he was supposed to, he had been flirting with the salt merchant's daughter. She was a pretty thing and he'd had little to occupy his mind with on the trip so far. He squirmed in his seat trying to find a more comfortable position. He couldn't even complain. He didn't want Baki to know he'd been distracted by a pretty face,

They were traveling with the salt merchant's caravan until they reached the boarder of Rain Country. There the caravan would split into two parts. They would part from Baki and head across River Country towards Grass Country. The travelers would camp tonight and reach River sometime before lunch tomorrow.

Kankuro shifted in his seat again. 'Screw it' he thought. I can't sit like this for another four hours. He hooked his long leg over the head of the camel. The animal was so well trained he doubted it even noticed what happened on its back. He turned in his seat so he was sitting backwards with his back along the neck of the camel and his legs over its rump. 'Not bad' the change in position shielded his eyes from the sun too. Using a little chakra to keep his butt in place Kankuro proceeded to fall asleep. Not however before seeing Baki give him a stern look for his audacity. 'Hey, a ninja's gotta do what a ninja's gotta do' he thought with a smirk.

It was a couple hours before nightfall when the caravan came to a halt. They were beside the burned out shell of an inn. It was a popular stop on the trade route. Travelers could take shelter in its ruins. There was a paddock for the camels and a walled area with a fire pit in the center. As one of the few women in the caravan, Temari was expected to help cook while Kankuro and Gaara helped set up the tents and unload the camels. The salt, being almost more precious than gold, was given first priority. Once it was housed to keep out wind and rain, the rest of camp was finalized. On missions they usually used small one man tents. On this trip though, they had one tent big enough for the four of them. Temari watched her brothers set it up from her station near the fire.

Dinner was a simple but filling meal of rice and curry, after which the women packed up the cooking supplies. The remaining rice was made into balls to be used for breakfast the next day. The salt merchant planned to move out at dawn and everything was made ready to quickly strap on the camels and continue the trip. The men checked over the animals and merchandise one last time before retiring for the night.

Gaara took first watch. Having meditated for a large part of the afternoon, he was alert and rested. It was around midnight and he was getting ready to wake Kankuro for his shift. He detected the chakra signatures of three people. Their movements were more swift than a civilian's and their chakra was stronger than a common person. Gaara masked his own chakra and watched to see what they were up to. The three figures swiftly investigated their cargo and took count of the number of people in the caravan. It was only due to Gaara's excellent hearing that he could tell what the nin were saying.

"I don't find it here."

"Our information must be premature. They must be joining the group on the next stop."

"Lord Orochimaru will not be pleased at the delay."

"He will be even more displeased if we rush and don't retrieve the package." The leader asserted.

"We will return when the caravan is complete."

In a flash the intruders were gone and Gaara was once again alone. He would let Kankuro sleep. He would be awake anyway he might as well analyze what he had heard.

An hour before dawn Gaara collected the food set aside for their party and entered the tent. Baki sensei was in the process of rising. Gaara kicked his brother's feet to rouse him.

"Is it my watch?" Kankuro said shaking himself awake.

"No. it's dawn. The camp was visited by ninja last night." was Gaara's surprising reply. He now had the attention of both men.

"What happened?" demanded Baki.

At the sound of voices Temari's eyes opened. She sat up and listened as her brother reported the night's events to Baki.

The sun was at its apex in the sky as the caravan entered the border town of Suna and River, The camels slowly made their way to a hostelry at the edge of town. The siblings could see camels and oxen in the paddock. Wagons were lined up in the stable yard. Each wagon had a civilian guard in place watching over the merchandise that was stored inside.

The salt merchant gave the signal to stop and the party from Suna along with the guards and caravan members climbed down from their camels.

"Oh" Temari moaned. She bent over stretching out her legs. She wanted to rub her backside but restrained herself in the presence of the others.

Gaara climbed down. He had used his sand to pad any spots that rubbed on his saddle. He was alert and ready. Since they were unsure of the intention the unknown ninja he would keep watch as they merged with the new caravan. He was looking for any clue as to the meaning of the ninja's words.

Kankuro knew one thing. He hated camels. They might be 'the ships of the desert' but they were damn slow and uncomfortable. He was unstrapping his scrolls containing his puppets when he caught the flash of brightly colored fabric out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he met the eyes of the merchant's daughter. She looked coyly from under long lashes. She was cute and she loved to flirt, just his kind of girl. He thought about slipping away and taking her someplace private. As his mind drifted with pleasurable thoughts of an afternoon spent in the arms of the lovely girl, he felt a heavy arm on his shoulder. He looked into the shrewd face of his sensei. Baki gave him a droll look.

"Get to work, Kankuro."

"Yes sir." How did the man do that? It was like he had eyes in the back of his head.

After Baki walked back to his own camel, Kankuro glanced at the object of his affections. She must have seen Baki, for now she wore a pout. He grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders. Play time would have to wait.

The team from Suna brought all their belongings into the inn. They would be staying one night before continuing on with the caravan to another border town between River and Rain Countries. They gathered before dinner to discuss the rest of their mission.

"As you know, I leave at day break for Rain and Rock countries." said their sensei. "After talking with the salt merchant, I feel this is still a viable plan. He is sending part of his salt supplies, along with members of his party in the same caravan I'll be joining. Since we can't know which caravan the ninja will be following we will stick to the current plan. Our objectives have still not changed. We know Orochimaru is planning something. We have this golden opportunity to learn more of his plans. This is what we've been working towards. I know each of you will do your best." he concluded.

"Hai" they answered.

"Oh and Kankuro," he said looking at the boy. "If that girl's father sees you looking at her like that, he'll have your balls for breakfast." Baki said dryly.

"What?" said Kankuro trying to appear innocent?

"I'd hate to inform the village that the eldest son of the 4th Kazekage was killed by an irate father. He is known as a stern father and a hard man. Watch yourself." instructed Baki.

Their sensei left the room and Kankuro turned to his sister with a wicked look on his face.

"I'll just have to make sure he doesn't catch me."

Temari swatted him with a look somewhere between a smirk and a frown. The boy was incorrigible. Sometimes she didn't know whether to laugh at his playfulness or kick him for his stubbornness.

Gaara rolled his eyes. All this bother over a girl. In his experience girls ran in fear and refused to have anything to do with him. The only girl he really knew was Temari and he couldn't imagine all this trouble over her.

He watched as the two began to bicker over who got to clean up first. 'They go through this every time.' Gaara thought in exasperation. He'd had enough. He pulled his towel and change of clothes out of his bag and walked calmly between them into the washroom. His brother and sister just had time to register what had happened when he slammed the door in their faces.

"Gaara, what are you doing?" yelled Temari. She gave the door handle a yank, but it was securely locked. "You Brat!" she exclaimed, banging on the door.

"It's no use beating on the door, he'll come out when he's ready." observed Kankuro while he gathered his towel and clothes.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not waiting. I saw a public bath as we rode in. I'll take my chances there." he replied.

Temari was adamant. "I'm not going to a public bath when we have one in our room."

Her brother just shrugged his shoulders as he left the room.

Temari leaned against the door jam. 'Why do I have to have two brothers?' she thought.

"You better not leave sand everywhere" she hollered through the bathroom door.

…

When Gaara finally exited the washroom, he found his sister impatiently tapping her foot, towel in hand. He gave her a bland look.

"I don't leave sand everywhere. Yell at Kankuro" he retorted in his deep voice.

"Yeh, well you're growing up to be just like him," She growled. "And that's not a compliment.

She marched into the washroom and slammed the door.

Gaara laid flat on the bed stretching out all his muscles. He closed his eyes going over everything he had heard about Orochimaru and the Sound village looking for any clue they had missed.

…

Temari left the washroom in a much better frame of mind than when she entered it. Clean and no longer smelling like a camel, she was almost cheerful. She saw her brother lying on the bed.

"So how were the public baths?" she asked as she walked over to put her things away.

Gaara opened his eyes and looked at his sister with a puzzled expression.

"Gaara!" she exclaimed!

The boy frowned back at her.

"I thought you were Kankuro." She stood beside the bed and slowly ran her hand over his brown locks. Temari studied him intently and then she smiled.

"I will never get used to you without your red hair." She brushed his hair away from his forehead where his tattoo would be if not for the henge. She gave him a quick kiss on his brow, and then ruffled his hair.

"Just don't act like Kankuro, ok?"

Gaara gave snort of disgust and closed his eyes again. He felt her move away and busy herself with her bag. He wondered at her change of mood. It was unusual for Temari to touch him, let alone kiss him. It had felt comforting, he realized. Maybe girls weren't so bad after all.

…

The other members of the caravan were in the dining room when the four shin obi from Wind entered. The siblings took special interest in observing each new member and how they interacted with each other. They were joined by three new families. The first two were related.

Mokuzia-san was a woodworker. A big beefy man, he specialized in decorative vessels and furniture of all kinds. He and his wife had five children who seemed to be everywhere at once. The children ranged in age from four to eleven. They all seemed to have the thick brown hair of their father. The man was loud and jovial and he and Kankuro hit it off at once.

Kusuri- san was his brother-in-law. He was a tall beanpole of a man, whose wife was as round as she was tall. They reminded Temari of a nursery rhyme she had heard when she was young. He boasted that his wife could grow anything, using himself and his two daughters as an example. Kusuri- san mixed the herbs his wife grew to make medicines and balms. He seemed to have a loyal clientele, if the number of stops planned for hospitals and healers was anything to go by.

In Gaara's opinion the third party seemed to be the most likely candidate for observation. Hooseki- san was a gem merchant. The man was perpetually nervous. The boisterous Mokuzia children had him in a continual panic. He was accompanied by two guards and an assistant. Gaara had overheard the salt merchant talk about a gem merchant who would be joining the caravan after picking up jewels in Suna. This then was the man. There was an old adage: land, people, and money equal power. This man certainly had the money. When all else fails follow the money. That was Gaara's plan.

The party from Suna retired to their room early wanting to stretch out their sore muscles before another day on the road. Under the watchful eye of Baki, they laid out all their gear ready to load into the wagons. Gaara noticed that the more moist air was taking its toll on their weapons. He gathered his bag and took out his sharpening supplies. Gaara took up a position near the window, looking down on the court yard. As the other three people on his team lay down to sleep, they heard the steady stroke of the sharpening tool against steel.

oOo oOo

A/n Follow the money- hey if I didn't have to do that I could quit my job and write full time. Surely then the chapters would come faster. (maybe not). This chapter set up the characters for the next 2 chapters, which is going to be more exciting –I promise.

If you've read this far, take a second and review. I love to hear what you say. You're a great bunch. Crystal

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